Spanish great and winner of 13 titles at Roland Garros, Rafael Nadal, secured his 15th semi-final appearance at the French Open by edging arch-rival and World No.1 Novak Djokovic in an epic quarter-final showdown in the early hours of Wednesday.
The No.5 seed won a breath-taking tiebreak in the fourth set to wrap up victory over the top seed in four hours and 12 minutes at 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6.
Nadal said: "In the end, it has been a very emotional night for me. I'm still playing for nights like today. But it's just a quarterfinals match. So I didn't win anything. I just give myself a chance to be back on court in two days. Playing another semifinal here in Roland Garros means a lot to me."
Meanwhile, Djokovic said: "He [Nadal] was the better player in the important moments. He showed why he's a great champion. Staying there mentally tough and finishing the match the way he did. Congrats to him and his team. No doubt he deserved it."
Next for Nadal is third seed Alexander Zverev, who overcame Spanish sensational teenager Carlos Alcaraz in another dramatic clash earlier on Tuesday.
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