World number one Novak Djokovic held off an incredible comeback by defeating Italian Matteo Berrettini on Wednesday, setting up a thrilling semi-final match in the ongoing French Open with defending champion Rafael Nadal.
The 34-year-old let out a series of terrifying roars after sealing a victory that appeared to be a formality at first but got increasingly stressful as Berrettini threw everything he had at Djokovic, who became only the second man after Roger Federer to reach 40 Grand Slam semi-finals.
Djokovic on Wednesday (local time) defeated ninth-seeded Italian Matteo Berrettini 6-3, 6-2, 6-7(5), 7-5 in the quarter-finals to book the semi-final berth
It was a frantic finish that demonstrated how badly Djokovic wants a second French Open trophy after winning the first in 2016 to complete his career in Grand Slam.
Since then, Nadal has been unstoppable on the Parisian clay, amassing a record 13 victories to date, the most recent of which came in October when he crushed Djokovic in the final.
When he meets Rafael Nadal for the 58th match in their enthralling career rivalry on Friday, the 18-time Grand Slam champion knows he’ll have to raise his game even further. This will be their 9th face-off in Paris.