PARIS - Sprinting, sliding and stretching, anticipating each other's moves for four sets and more than four hours, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal produced a masterpiece in the French Open semifinals.
Djokovic was already one of only two players in tennis history who knows what it takes to beat Nadal at Roland Garros - and now he has done it twice.
In their 58th career matchup, Djokovic ended Nadal's bid for a record-extending 14th championship at the clay court major and a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam men's singles title by coming back to win Friday, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-2.
"Just one of these nights and matches that you will remember forever," said the top-seeded Djokovic, who trailed 2-0 in the closing set before reeling off the last half-dozen games to reach the final in Paris for the second straight year and sixth time overall.
"Definitely the best match that I was part of ever in Roland Garros, for me, and (one of the) top three matches that I ever played in my entire career - considering quality of tennis, playing my biggest rival on the court where he has had so much success and has been the dominant force in the last 15-plus years, and the atmosphere, which was completely electric."
It was Nadal's third loss in 108 matches at a tournament he won each of the past four years, including by beating Djokovic in straight sets in the 2020 final eight months ago. Nadal's first defeat at the French Open came against Robin Soderling in 2009; Djokovic beat Nadal in 2015.
No two men in the professional era, which dates to 1968, have played each other more than Nadal and Djokovic, who leads their all-time series 30-28.
"Each time you step on the court with him," Djokovic said, "you know that you have to kind of climb Mount Everest to win against this guy here."
And to think: There wasn't even a trophy at stake Friday. There will be one on the line Sunday, when Djokovic, a 34-year-old from Serbia, faces Stefanos Tsitsipas, a 22-year-old from Greece.
The fifth-seeded Tsitsipas edged sixth-seeded Alexander Zverev, a 24-year-old from Germany, 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 4-6, 6-3 earlier Friday to reach his first Grand Slam final. It's Djokovic's 29th as he seeks a second title at the French Open - he beat Andy Murray in the 2016 final - and 19th men's singles major championship to pull within one of the mark shared by Nadal and fellow Big Three member Roger Federer.
Tsitsipas already had given away all of a two-set lead in his semifinal Friday when he double faulted to trail 40-love in the opening game of the fifth set. However, he steeled himself to win five consecutive points, then broke to go up 3-1.
"I'm someone who fights. I was not willing to give up yet. I think I did a few things right that worked in my favor," said Tsitsipas, who entered the day 0-3 in major semifinals. "It was a breath of fresh air, that first game. I felt revitalized."
His semifinal offered a measure of drama - but in truth, Tsitsipas-Zverev was merely an opening act before the headliners. Nadal and Djokovic really riled up the raucous crowd at Court Philippe Chatrier.
Midway through the third set, Djokovic won a 23-stroke point with a forehand winner and windmilled his arms half a dozen times, earning a standing ovation and chants of "No-vak! No-vak!" On the very next point, Nadal produced a forehand winner and screamed, prompting chants of "Ra-fa! Ra-fa!" and a wave in the stands.
The 35-year-old Spaniard acknowledged fatigue might have been a factor during his poor play in the tiebreaker, including a double fault and a flubbed volley.
"Mistakes can happen," he said. "But if you want to win, you can't make these mistakes."
That set alone lasted 1 hour, 33 minutes, and an 11 p.m. nationwide curfew in place because of COVID-19 was approaching. Djokovic's previous match had been delayed more than 20 minutes while the audience - limited to 5,000 people under coronavirus restrictions - was cleared out of the stadium, but an announcement was made Friday to let everyone know the government agreed to let them stay until the end of the match.
Earlier chants in French of "We won't leave!" were replaced by choruses of the national anthem and cheers of thanks for President Emmanuel Macron.
Nadal noted afterward that playing in the cooler night air meant balls bounced lower, reducing the effect of his lefty forehand's heavy topspin.
"That's more favorable for him, the conditions," Nadal said. "By the way, doesn't matter. That's tennis. The player who (gets) used to the conditions better is the player who (deserves) to win. So no doubt, he deserved to win."
The intensity was palpable from the outset of the evening, and Nadal zoomed to a 5-0 lead, reminiscent of last year's final, which he won 6-0, 6-2, 7-5. That was only the fourth shutout set lost by Djokovic in 341 career Grand Slam matches up to that point - and the first in a major final.
There wouldn't be another Friday, because Djokovic made two key tactical adjustments - moving much further back than usual to return serve and deciding to focus on serving toward Nadal's backhand - and quickly made clear this would be a classic between two of the greatest ever at what they do.
They defended in ways rarely seen. Found the right mix of power and touch. Conjured up winners that seemed impossible at first glance - and that no one else would try, let alone successfully employ. Returned as well as anyone, combining to generate 38 break points.
Djokovic and Nadal know each other - and each other's strengths and weaknesses and patterns - so well, and back and forth they went: game to game, point to point, shot to shot. Through exchanges that lasted 10 strokes, 20 strokes, more, they created marvelous points.
Too many to count. Or recount.
They forced each other to come up with the goods over and over again in a version of "Can you top this?" And the answer, over and over again, was "Yes!"
Neither would give up or give in. Djokovic shrugged off his early hole. He saved a set point while down 6-5 in the third. Nadal recovered from the dropped tiebreaker to steal a break at the beginning of the fourth set.
After Djokovic broke back to 2-all, though, he was on his way - and afterward, he described the change succinctly: "Something clicked."