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Roland Garros news: Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal on blockbuster quarter-final collision course

Spain's Rafael Nadal and Serbia's Novak Djokovic

A box-office French Open quarter-final between defending champion Novak Djokovic and 13-time winner Rafael Nadal is on the cards after both men progressed to the fourth round with relative ease.

With Nadal fifth in the world rankings, the Spaniard found himself in the same quarter of the Roland Garros draw as his Serbian counterpart.

The two tennis legends are now on a collision course, after both men picked up straight sets victories in the third round of the tournament.

Djokovic powered past Slovenia's Aljaz Bedene, winning 6-3 6-3 6-2. Nadal, on the other hand, thrashed Dutchman Botic Van De Zandschulp, registering a 6-3 6-2 6-4 victory.
The Spaniard told Marion Bartoli in the post-match interview: "It's a pleasure to play on Suzanne-Lenglen ... Botic played a good match, he's a tough player. I let him back in to the third set, [but] I played my best match of the tournament so far until then."

Nadal and Djokovic are yet to drop a set at this year's French Open, and both have lost just 23 games apiece.

Considering both players are in great form, it's no surprise French footballing royalty turned out to watch, with the likes of former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger and ex-Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane in attendance.

Nadal and Djokovic will clash in the quarter-final, should they win their respective fourth round games. The Spaniard will face world number nine Felix Auger-Aliassime, while the Serb will also take on a tough challenger in Diego Schwartzman.

The two tennis greats have gone head-to-head on 58 occasions, with the current world number one coming out on top in 30 of those encounters.
The pair last met at the 2021 French Open semi-final, with Djokovic prevailing over four sets - just his seventh win in 27 matches on clay against Nadal.
As things stand, the current world number five has won more grand slams than any other player in history, with 21 to his name.
However, with Djokovic just one behind - alongside Roger Federer - the Serb will be intent on going all the way at Roland Garros as he looks to tie his great rival.

READ MORE: Iga Swiatek continues incredible dominance with 15th bagel of the season at Roland Garros

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