French Open 2021: Twitter reacts to Novak Djokovic-Rafael Nadal semifinal thriller

Tom Gatto

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French Open 2021: Twitter reacts to Novak Djokovic-Rafael Nadal semifinal thriller image

Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal put on a riveting show Friday at Roland Garros. The men's tennis giants battled deep into the Paris night, with Djokovic ultimately prevailing 3-6, 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-2 to advance to Sunday's French Open final.

Djokovic denied Nadal an opportunity to pass Roger Federer for most Grand Slam singles titles. Nadal and Federer remain tied at 20 apiece. Djokovic, meanwhile, will go for his 19th major title when he faces Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final.

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The spectators inside Court Philippe-Chatrier were wildly entertained, to the point that they chanted that they wouldn't leave when France's 11 p.m. curfew took effect. Tournament organizers announced in the fourth set that they could remain, due to "the extraordinary nature of this match."

Tennis Twitter was equally enthralled after watching the 34-year-old Djokovic and the 35-year-old Nadal go head-to-head for four hours and 11 minutes and the top-seeded Djokovic rally to hand the third-seeded Nadal just his third loss in 108 matches on the Roland Garros clay.

Tom Gatto

Tom Gatto Photo

Tom Gatto joined The Sporting News as a senior editor in 2000 after 12 years at The Herald-News in Passaic, N.J., where he served in a variety of roles including sports editor, and a brief spell at APBNews.com in New York, where he worked as a syndication editor. He is a 1986 graduate of the University of South Carolina.