Why Rafael Nadal vs Novak Djokovic French Open Clash is the 'Most Important Match in Tennis History'

For more than a decade now, the Rafael Nadal vs.Novak Djokovic rivalry has defined men's tennis. The duo have confronted each other an extraordinary 58 times in the past, and on Tuesday, they will meet for the 59th time on Court Philippe Chatrier at Roland Garros in what has been billed the "most important match in tennis history".

Widely regarded as one of the best rivalries in the sport and arguably the greatest of all time, the rivalry between the 'King of Clay' Rafael Nadal and current World No. 1 Novak Djokovic started at the French Open in 2006.

There's every chance that it could end at the same tournament sixteen years later.

Remarkably their first career match was at Roland Garros in the quarterfinals and once again they will be up against one another in Paris.

"We have to be ready that this could be the last time they play in a Grand Slam," three-time French Open champion Mats Wilander told Eurosport ahead of their blockbuster encounter in the 'City of Lights'.

Wilander's assertion stems from the fact that Nadal's chronic foot injury has caused much trouble to the Spaniard in recent days. Even his participation in the prestigious Grand Slam event was in doubt a fortnight ago, but the southpaw managed to overcome the issue just in time to progress through to quarters.

However, Nadal has grown weary of the injury as it resurfaces with regularity and he has even said that the match against Djokovic could be his last match at Roland Garros.

"The match with Djokovic could be my last match here," Nadal said during the weekend after his epic five-set triumph over 21-year-old Canadian Felix Auger Aliassime, who nearly pulled off an upset win over him on Sunday.

With heavy clouds hovering over Nadal's future, pundits have labelled Tuesday's clash as the one that would decide the fate of the "greatest of all-time" debate in tennis.

"There was [Roger] Federer v Djokovic at Wimbledon in 2019 but the consequences of this, with Rafa on 21 Slams and Djokovic on 20, trying to draw level, I think in the men's game it's the most important match in the last 10 years," former World No. 4 Tim Henman said.

Meanwhile, Wilander went a step further and described it as the "most important match in history".

"I remember last year when they played in the semis. I called it maybe the most important match in the history of tennis. Because the winner of that was most probably going to win the Slam. I'm saying it again," the Swedish great added.

There's little doubt that the stakes are very high for both players in the match. A win for Djokovic would make him the favourite to claim his third French Open trophy and equal Nadal's record of 21 Majors.

A win for the Majorcan would almost guarantee a 22nd Grand Slam for him and if does succeed in achieving the feat, he would open a two-Slam lead over Djokovic.

The Grand Slams, the biggest and the oldest tournaments in the sport, are regarded as the gold standard in tennis and it is the number of Majors a player has won, which decides his or her greatness.

Former Indian Davis Cup player Zeeshan Ali had a similar view about the Nadal-Djokovic quarterfinal at the French Open.

"Last year Nadal and Djokovic played possibly the greatest set of tennis in history with the Serbian winning the third in a tiebreaker," Ali told Sputnik.

"Today they could be competing in the greatest quarterfinal ever in men's tennis as both know what is on the line," he added.

Even as experts underlined the high significance of the match, Djokovic looked enthusiastic about taking on Nadal at his favourite court in the world.

"It's a huge challenge and probably the biggest one that you can have here in Roland Garros. I'm ready for it… I like the way I have been feeling, the way I have been hitting the ball. I will focus on what I need to do," Djokovic said in an interview posted on the official website of the competition.

Although Djokovic said that he was well prepared for his highly-anticipated showdown with Nadal, his head-to-head record against the 21-time Grand Slam holder wasn't too impressive on clay.

While their overall record is 30-28 in favour of Djokovic, on the red dirt Nadal has been the dominant player. He currently leads the pair's rivalry 19-8 on the surface.

Besides, the left-hander also has a huge lead over Djokovic at Roland Garros, having beaten the Serb seven times in their nine matches there.

Yet Djokovic could take heart from the fact that he's the only tennis star to defeat Nadal twice at the French Open, including a win in an epic semifinal that he won in four sets and four hours and 11-minutes.