Behind-the-scenes powerplay from Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic could decide Roland Garros blockbuster

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are at loggerheads before their massive French Open quarter-final even begins.

Rafael Nadal, pictured, and Novak Djokovic will meet in the quarter-finals at Roland Garros. Picture: Getty Images

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are at loggerheads before their blockbuster French Open quarter-final even begins. Behind the scenes, Nadal is pushing Roland Garros officials for a daytime match. Djokovic wants it played in the evening. They’re not just bickering for the sake of it – the scheduling will be an early and significant victory for one of them.

Novak Djokovic. Picture: AFP

Djokovic looked ominously good in his 6-1 6-3 6-3 thumping of 15th-seeded Argentine Diego Schwartzmann before Nadal conjured his trademark grit and grunt to remove Canada’s World No.9 Felix Auger-Aliassime 3-6 6-3 6-2 3-6 6-3 in the fourth round on Sunday in Paris. It will be a record 59th meeting between the 20-time and 21-time major champions. The Serb leads the head-to-head 30-28 but Nadal is 7-2 at Roland Garros. It’s the most prolific rivalry in the history of men’s tennis and quite often, the most dramatic.

The crowd on Court Philippe-Chatrier started booing Djokovic at the mere mention of his name in Nadal’s post-match interview. “We know each other well and have a lot of history together,” Nadal said. “Here we are, we are in Roland Garros, it is my favourite place to play, without a doubt. The only thing I can tell you is I am going to be focusing. I’m going to try my best, as always. I don’t know what can happen but the only thing I can guarantee is that I am going to fight until the end.”

The majority of Nadal’s 13 Roland Garros triumphs have come from afternoon matches in summer weather. In hot weather on a baking clay court, the ball stays dry and rock-hard and bounces like it’s coming off concrete. In cooler night conditions, the moisture in the clay makes the balls heavier and more dour – and the court itself is less responsive. It will be a huge advantage to Djokovic if they play at night. Before the retractable roof and floodlights were installed for last year’s tournament, there was no night session in Paris, which was fine by Nadal.

It’s the backroom powerplay that could decide the match. Elite players are always asked what time they want to play at the majors. Their requests are usually met. Djokovic may have a backroom win on this occasion. It’s clearly the match of the day and European television broadcasters will want it for prime time. Which is night-time. Then again, Nadal is Nadal, and he’s a legend of the tournament, so perhaps he can pull rank.

Djokovic will likely lose his world No.1 ranking if Wimbledon is played without rankings points. Asked what the top slot means to him, Djokovic replied: “Being number one is the best and worst thing about being number one. That’s the ultimate challenge in this sport or in any sport, to be the best at what you do. I’ve been blessed to be number one and it’s always been the highest goal at the beginning of every season. Particularly being in the era with (Roger) Federer and Nadal, the guys that are great of the game, so that makes the success even bigger.”

He added: “On the other hand, the downside of being No.1 is that you are always being chased by everyone else that wants to dethrone you and wants to win against you in every single match, regardless of the size or category of the tournament. But fortunately over many years I’ve gotten used to that kind of feeling and it gives me even more motivation when I face guys who want to challenge me for the top spot.”