Djokovic dethroned 'King of Clay' Nadal in just three sets.

An unbelievable event occurred in yesterday's quarterfinal match on June 3rd, when the world number one needed only three sets to dethrone Nadal as Roland Garros champion.

Rafael Nadal's glorious past, with nine Roland Garros titles and seven victories over Novak Djokovic at the tournament, provided the mental strength he needed as he stepped onto the familiar Philippe Chatrier center court to once again face his Serbian rival. However, the landscape of men's tennis had changed. Djokovic, with 39 wins since the beginning of 2015, was like a whirlwind sweeping away all obstacles in his path. And Nadal, yesterday, became the next victim of that whirlwind.

Djokovic's strength and Nadal's weakness were evident from the way the world number one started the match. He quickly took a 4-0 lead after successfully breaking Nadal's serve in the very first game. The Spaniard then seemed to awaken, breaking Nadal's serve in two consecutive games to level the score at 4-4. The back-and-forth in the first set continued until the very end, with Djokovic having to wait for his sixth set-point opportunity to close out the 67-minute first set with a 7-5 victory.

A break in the eighth game, 19 winners, and a 77% first-serve success rate were the highlights of "Nole's" performance in the second set. Djokovic maximized the effectiveness of his forehand shots, coupled with agile movement, allowing the Serbian player to create a turning point by taking a crucial 5-3 lead, easily winning the set 6-3 in just 44 minutes.

Nole completely dominated the game and defeated Nadal in just three sets. Photo: Reuters.

Nadal's 29th birthday was compounded by disappointment, as he could do little more in the third set than win a single game. In the seventh game, Nadal served, completely losing control with a double fault, allowing Djokovic to win convincingly and close out the match in just two hours and 27 minutes with scores of 7-5, 6-3, and 6-1 in three sets. The Serbian player recorded a total of 31 winners, achieving 70% of his points at the net.

This victory, besides securing Djokovic's place in the semi-finals, holds significant psychological importance, marking a power shift on clay between two players considered legends of men's tennis in the Open Era. Djokovic is demonstrating that winning his first clay-court Grand Slam and completing his career Grand Slam collection is now only a matter of time.

Conversely, Nadal, having failed to defend his title, will have points deducted and will certainly drop to 10th place after the tournament ends. Worse still, if Jo-Wilfried Tsonga defeats Wawrinka in the semi-finals to reach the final, Nadal will be knocked out of the top 10 – an unbelievable outcome for someone who has won Roland Garros nine times and currently holds 14 prestigious Grand Slam titles.

The center court at Roland Garros is where Nadal is said to know exactly where to hit the ball even with his eyes closed. But yesterday, that wasn't the case, as he was outmatched in every aspect by Djokovic. Photo: Reuters.

"Rafa hasn't been at his best this season. However, he's still the defending champion, and I always find it a pleasure to face him. My tactics worked at the right time, and I focused on the crucial moments. It's not easy, and playing against Rafa is even harder," Djokovic said after the victory.

Djokovic's next opponent in the semi-finals will be the winner of the quarter-final match between third seed Andy Murray and another Spanish representative, David Ferrer.

According to VNE