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10:31 p.m. : “What is hard in a Grand Slam is to keep the concentration and the level for three, four hours.”
Some imagined him to lift the cup… Carlos Alcaraz was eliminated this afternoon in the quarter-finals of Roland-Garros, by the German Alexander Zverev, third in the world. The 19-year-old Spaniard hoped for better from his first at Roland-Garros, but after the US Open in 2021, the prodigy once again stops at the gates of the semi-finals of a Grand Slam.
(THOMAS SAMSON / AFP)
10:30 p.m. : It is very spectacular the brutal return to the match of Novak Djokovic, who once again managed to walk Rafael Nadal on the court and lead the game in his hand. 3-2 for Nadal in the second run. Casually, this is the first time that the Serb has won two games in a row in this meeting.
10:26 p.m. : Is this the turning point of the game? Novak Djokovic manages to break the Spaniard and come back to 2-6, 1-3. There is still room before speaking of “remontada”.
10:23 p.m. : Before the match I thought I was going to bed at 1am or even 2am. But there at this rate Before midnight.
10:23 p.m. : I remember that at the beginning of the victories (like after two or three) of Nadal at Roland, he was sometimes whistled, because people were tired of seeing him win all the time. It’s funny how he earned his legendary stripes. I can’t help but be a bit pleased that Alcaraz isn’t already starting to break its records…
10:21 p.m. : The Djokovic fan in my gallery 
10:21 p.m. : Good on the other hand it is indecent to be so strong at 53 years old Rafael.
10:21 p.m. : Like the stands of the Central, social networks have chosen their camp.
10:19 p.m. : @Matt 6-2, 3-0, it looks like he’s playing Navok Djokovic, Novak’s cousin! The score is incredible, even if the duration of the meeting gives a small indication of the intensity of the exchanges.
10:18 p.m. : What a bloody match, but what a Rafa match! He pushes so hard, with seriousness and application!!Djoko is speechless…
10:18 p.m. : @Fair play Absolutely, Rafael Nadal suffers from chronic and incurable foot pain which is called Muller-Weiss Syndrome. Thus, at the Rome tournament, three weeks ago, he was forced to defeat against an opponent of lower status (Denis Shapovalov) because he was paralyzed by pain in his foot.
10:15 p.m. : @feliscatus It’s difficult to answer you categorically, the fact that he won two thirds of his Grand Slam titles in a single tournament, at Roland-Garros, somewhat hampering his chances of deserving this status of “Greatest of all time” (in good French). But hey, it’s a Federer fan who answers you, so…
10:14 p.m. : Tell me, Pierre, if Nadal were to win this Roland – it’s obviously not done yet – wouldn’t he be a good candidate for the GOAT title there?
10:13 p.m. : Rafa is exceptional tonight, after a match of more than 4h30 on Sunday!!!! Woahhh
10:12 p.m. : Novak Djokovic had been broken three times in 52 service games in his first four matches. He has already been broken three times in 5 service games tonight.6-2, 1-0 Nadal.
10:10 p.m. : And successful break from the start by a Rafael Nadal who tortures his opponent on his commitment. Novak Djokovic had to deploy all his talent to resist six break points before… service to follow for the Mallorcan.
10:08 p.m. : @Chip13 I am amazed by the level of play of the Spaniard, who strings together splendid points. My only reservation: how much gas does he have in the tank if the match lasts?
10:07 p.m. : Ghost of Djoko tonight. Or Rafa really too strong ?
9:59 p.m. : Too bad this one-sided start to the match. The big expected quarter-final was actually Zverev’s against Alcatraz. A magnificent fight!
9:59 p.m. : I’m certainly bad but more than Nadal winning, I especially want to see Djoko losing. Sorry. But I do not know why.
9:59 p.m. : @Jerome This is a series of TOCs that reassure him:
– first, he takes a big blow on underpants
– with a gesture, he adjusts his shirt at shoulder level
– then he touches his hair
– a little blow on the nose to wipe
– regular cleaning of the service line, small kick in his racket
Rafael Nadal explained: “My routine before every tennis match follows the same logic. I try to train perfectly every day. It gives me confidence and gives me some peace of mind knowing that things are going to be fine for me. me or at least that I’m doing everything I can to make things right.”
9:59 p.m. : #Roland Garros Good evening Pierre, do you know why Nadal has always made so many movies with his shorts and these bottles?
9:54 p.m. : Very solid first set won by Rafael Nadal, it’s clear and flawless even if it took almost 50 minutes of play to complete the proceedings.
9:52 p.m. : @Curious 73 I wonder if Nadal does not know that an extended match is very likely not to turn out in his favor, he has every interest in taking control of the match, attacking Djokovic as quickly as possible and trying to close the match in as little time as possible.
9:52 p.m. : Quick question: is this their first match since the verbal games around the Australian Open (vaccine, covid not covid..)? It looks like they have a score to settle, given the immediate intensity of the exchanges? Thank you Pierre! ?
10:04 p.m. : @Sylvain I feel ironic! Admittedly, the two players on the court are 71 years old between them, but the longevity of careers in this sport has made giant leaps in a few years. I gave you some secrets in a paper published last year. It is not at all sure that the young Zverev gives the lesson to his elder in the semi-final.
9:50 p.m. : We can still see that they are old players. Nothing to do with the previous match between Alcaraz and Zverev. I assume they are both housed in a hospice.
9:46 p.m. : At this rate, I feel that #Nadal and #Djokovic will miss the last metro…
9:46 p.m. : @Eula Remember last year, the match that was able to come to an end with the public, thanks to a decision from the Elysée. It seems so far away today!
9:46 p.m. : Beware of the curfew at 11 p.m.! Sorry, wrong time
9:44 p.m. : No pun intended, Nadal is at his “prime” tonight. Boss in the field for now. Like the impression that he may have been a bit underestimated for this match…
9:44 p.m. : Has Rafael Nadal, who now leads 5-1, been underestimated (starting with us at the editorial staff, who have all predicted a victory for the Serb)? We can ask ourselves the question, even if Novak Djokovic is anything but ridiculous at the start of the match.
9:35 p.m. : Half an hour of play, we saw… 4 games. 3-1 for Rafael Nadal. It’s time to prepare a thermos of coffee, we’re here for a while.
9:32 p.m. : I adored Djoko since his parodies of Nadal and Sharapova… Since his non-vaccination, he has dropped a little in my esteem, but very far from whistling him!
9:32 p.m. : #Roland Garros Nadal is all my youth. So seeing him lose at Roland, hearing people say all day That it’s probably his last game in Paris, etc. It pisses me off. Huge tennis fan can’t even watch this game
9:28 p.m. : That the public of #RolandGarros has a very particular affection for Nadal, that seems completely normal to me. But why whistle Djokovic? We are not playing football here. Not easy to explain to his children that we whistled a guy who has 87 titles on the circuit. #NadalDjokovic
9:28 p.m. : Level applause, Rafael Nadal is more widely supported than his opponent. The weight of the years, and the fact that the Serb is considered more divisive (even before his anti-vaccine positions and his setbacks before the Australian Open), which even earned him a few whistles when he entered the court.
9:21 p.m. : Canon start of Rafael Nadal, who had however had a sluggish first set in the previous round against the Canadian rocket Félix Auger-Aliassime. 2-0 for the Spaniard which confirms his break in a very beautiful way. There is a very nice point ratio / quite stratospheric total points in this beginning of the match.
9:19 p.m. : @Eula The effective playing time of a tennis match represents 20 to 25% of the total playing time. If the match lasts four hours, you will have actually seen two fellows running on ocher dirt for one hour, and the rest of the time Rafael Nadal adjusting his shorts or putting his bottles away 😉
9:19 p.m. : We often talk about 4, 5 hours of play, but seeing full highlights, without downtime, a match is more like 30 minutes of intensive effort
9:14 p.m. : We are witnessing a very high level start to the match, with lengthy exchanges between the two players. And already an entry break for an extremely convincing Rafael Nadal, especially on his support (we know that his foot is fragile after an injury).
9:04 p.m. : It is a little after 9 p.m., the match begins. A slight delay due to the match between Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz, which ended shortly after 8 p.m.
8:59 p.m. : @Chip13 You are not ready for pre-games at Bercy with strobe lights and 3D animations on the court.
8:59 p.m. : What horror this entry of the players, it looks like an American boxing match… Where is my tennis of yesteryear? Class, felted….
8:58 p.m. : @D0m I remind you that the pee break is now strictly supervised: three minutes from entering the locker room, five minutes in total. Players are only allowed to go to the bathroom once per match.
8:57 p.m. : Are we betting on a pee break from Djoko with a change of outfit? End of the 1st set?
8:55 p.m. : The two players enter the court! Rafael Nadal, all dressed in yellow and green, Novak Djokovic in his traditional red polo shirt.
8:42 p.m. : Don’t think that the match schedule and the cooler temperatures will only have a limited impact on the appearance of the match. According to Richard Gasquet, interviewed by franceinfo sport, “the ball is slower in the evening and it bounces less high because the ground reacts little when the temperature drops. Rafael Nadal’s topspin will be less powerful (…) It’s true that that [le] disadvantage.”
8:39 p.m. : Sorry, I like Nadal a lot, but I will vibrate for Djoko, whom I see winning in 3 sets. It won’t be the best match of the tournament (which is currently the one that just took place between Alcaraz and Zverev, and which saw my favorite win).
8:38 p.m. : No, but you’re crazy to predict the time of the match point ? For my part, I predict a match won by Nadal in 4 sets, 7/5 in the last set… Come on small ball artists yellow, make us dream!