1996 Roland Garros champion, Yevgeny Kafelnikov talked about the quarterfinal match between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal as he shared his observations for SportKlub.
Novak Djokovic fell in the quarterfinals of the 2022 Roland Garros to Rafael Nadal, denying him the opportunity to match the Spaniard's 21 Grand Slam victories in Paris. Rafael Nadal, on the other hand, may win his 22nd title and get two titles away from Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer in the so-called 'GOAT Race.'
Despite the fact that both players had good moments during their quarterfinal match at Roland Garros, the Serbian lost in four sets. Former world number 1, Yevgeny Kafelnikov shared his opinion, when he said:
"From the first point, it was clear that Novak… I don't know what, but something bothered him - I hope it's not physical and I don't think it is because he ran well and covered the field. Maybe it was mental, because the whole stadium was cheering for Nadal."
"That's right, the man has won Roland Garros 13 times and the fans are definitely emotionally fond of him. I think it bothered Novak a little, but it was an epic match, I enjoyed every minute. I’m sure the Paris audience loves Novak too, but with Rafa it’s a special story. I understand Novak, but I also understand the sympathy of the audience towards Rafa."
"I think Novak relaxed a little too much at 5-2 in the fourth set, as if he already thought that he did everything he needed to do and equalized at 2-2. Rafa opened a small window, and he made a break at 5-3. When he made the break, Nadal concentrated on doing his best to finish the match in four sets. He did not want to go to the fifth set because Novak is a great fighter and it would not be easy to break him. Djokovic made the mistake of relaxing…"
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