local time Wednesday - did provide Nadal with the sort of buzz and satisfaction that validates his decision to keep pushing the limits at this late stage of his career and also protected his lead in the race to finish with the most men’s Grand Slam singles titles. It was only a quarterfinal on a chilly Tuesday evening when scarves were definitely in order on the Philippe Chatrier Court (some fans chose to wrap their entire bodies in Spanish or Serbian flags).īut the victory - completed at 1:15 a.m. This four-hour-and-12-minute triumph did not secure Nadal the trophy. To win against Novak there is only one way to play, at your best and first point to the last, and tonight was one of those magic nights for me.” “Playing him is always an amazing challenge, all the history we have together. “Novak is one of the best players of the history without a doubt,” Nadal said. Nadal, who will turn 36 on Friday, was irresistible at the start of his latest marathon with Djokovic and sometimes shaky in the middle, but he found a way well after midnight to save two set points down the stretch and cross the finish line in first with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (4) victory. Though Nadal did not have the clout as a 13-time French Open champion to influence the scheduling, he did have the skill and the will to hold off the only man who has beaten him twice at Roland Garros.

Whatever the hour and whatever the surface, Nadal remains one of the supreme fighters and problem solvers in sports.

PARIS - For a man who did not want to play Novak Djokovic at night, Rafael Nadal certainly made the best of the situation.

Djokovic score today