Rafael Nadal on Wednesday beat Novak Djokovic in an thrilling contest in the French Open 2022 quarter-finals. Nadal, who saw the World No.1 come back from two breaks down to win the second set, held his nerve to beat Djokovic 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7/4) after a four-hour-and-12-minute quarter-final on a raucous Court Philippe Chatrier. The magnitude of the win, against one of his greatest rivals, was evident on the Spaniard's face, as he couldn't stop smiling ear-to-ear after the epic at Roland Garros.
Watch: Rafael Nadal's reaction after beating Novak Djokovic in the French Open quarter-finals
The 'King of clay' smashed 57 winners in a trademark performance to delight the crowd as he gained revenge for his semi-final loss to the same opponent 12 months ago.
"In the end it has been a very emotional night for me," said Nadal after the match. "I'm still playing for nights like today.
"But it's just a quarter-finals match? So I didn't win anything. I just give myself a chance to be back on court in two days. Playing another semi-finals here in Roland Garros means a lot to me."
The 35-year-old has lost just three of his 113 matches on the Paris clay since his 2005 title-winning debut and now only trails Djokovic 30-29 in their career head-to-head.
The Spaniard, seeded fifth, remains on course for a record-extending 22nd Grand Slam title after lifting this year's Australian Open, which Djokovic missed after being deported from the country over his Covid vaccination status.
Nadal will now face Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals, with the German having knocked out teen sensation Carlos Alvarez in the quarters.