French Open: 'These matches change course of history' - Ivanovic on Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, GOAT debate

ByTom Adams

Updated 12/06/2021 at 13:16 GMT

Novak Djokovic's stunning victory over Rafael Nadal in the French Open semi-finals is the talk of tennis. Former champion Ana Ivanovic joined the Eurosport coverage of the women's final at Roland Garros on Saturday and shared her thoughts on her fellow Serb after he reignited the eternal GOAT debate...

Ana Ivanovic says Novak Djokovic’s magnificent semi-final victory over Rafael Nadal is the kind of match which “changes the course of history” in tennis.

Djokovic came through a pulsating, late-night showdown with his great rival 3-6 6-3 7-6(4) 6-2 to move to within one match of his 19h Grand Slam title – with only Stefanos Tsitsipas standing in his way in Sunday’s final.

Djokovic said the win was his best ever at Roland Garros, and in the top three matches of his entire career, and the manner in which he beat Nadal on what is effectively his home court reignited the debate over who is the greatest men’s player of all time, with Djokovic only trailing Nadal and Roger Federer, who both have 20 Grand Slams, by two.

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It is hardly out of the question that with the French Open final to come, and then Wimbledon and the US Open, Djokovic could level or even surpass his two great contemporaries this year.

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And speaking as an analyst on Eurosport’s coverage of the women’s final between Barbora Krejcikova and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Ivanovic said that Djokovic’s victory would echo through the history of the sport.

“It was amazing, amazing tennis and I love to watch both of them play,” said Ivanovic in The Cube.

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“Novak was so aggressive and some of the rallies were getting me sitting on the edge of my chair and it was really beautiful to see how competitive they both are.

“Absolutely it was (influential in the GOAT debate). Novak has had many situations like this in the past, even at the US Open a few times needing match points against Federer. I’ve seen it happen in Wimbledon I think.

"So these kind of moments in these kind of matches change the course and write the history.

“Novak has huge support there like all over the world so I’m sure people will be watching that (final) with enthusiasm.”

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Watch all the action from the 2021 French Open live on Eurosport, eurosport.co.uk and the Eurosport app with world number one Novak Djokovic facing Stefanos Tsitsipas in the men's final and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova taking on Barbora Krejcikova in the women's final.

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