Serbian top seed Djokovic won 3-6 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 in over four hours against defending champion Nadal. Djokovic is the first player to beat Nadal twice on the Roland Garros clay, also beating him in the 2015 quarter-finals. He faces Stefanos Tsitsipas in final.

The 35-year-old Spaniard Rafael Nadal is going for a record-extending 14th title, lost there for only the third time in 108 matches in a classic semi-final which will be ranked among the all-time great matches on the Roland Garros clay.

The 22-year-old Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, reached his first Grand Slam final by beating German sixth seed Alexander Zverev in a five-set epic earlier on Friday.

Djokovic, 34, would play against 22-year-old Stefanos Tsitsipas on Sunday’s french open Finals.

According to reports from BBC sports,the high-quality match was full of drama and suspense, twists and turns, and was played in front of 5,000 fans, who were allowed to stay despite France’s 11pm curfew as part of its coronavirus restrictions.

”To win against Rafa on this court you have to play your best tennis, and tonight I played my best tennis,” said the Djokovic, who could now win his 19th Grand Slam title and go one behind Nadal and Federer’s all-time men’s record.

“It’s hard to find the words to sum up how I feel. You tell yourself there is no pressure but there is. Pressure is a privilege – to test my game and my character in matches like this.”