Rafael Nadal set to meet archrival Novak Djokovic in the French Open quarterfinals

By Issy Ronald, CNN

Updated 1017 GMT (1817 HKT) May 30, 2022

Nadal and Djokovic last met in the semifinals of the 2021 French Open where Djokovic prevailed.

(CNN)During Rafael Nadal's long illustrious career, he has played 112 matches at Roland Garros and won 109 of them.

His long-time rival Novak Djokovic is responsible for two of these three defeats in Paris. The two players, who have won 15 of the last 17 French Open titles, will meet again on Tuesday in the quarterfinals in what is one of the most anticipated matches of the tournament. They have faced each other 59 times — more than any other two men in the sport's professional era — and are relatively evenly matched; Nadal leads the grand slam count by one with 21 titles while Djokovic leads the head-to-head 30-28.On clay, the rivalry is more lopsided in favor of Nadal who has won seven matches compared to Djokovic's two.Read MoreSuch has been Nadal's dominance at this tournament that his fourth-round victory over Félix Auger-Aliassime yesterday was just the third time in his career that he has been taken to five sets at Roland Garros.But, in that fifth set, he showcased his brilliance on clay. At two sets and three games all, a flicker of a break point appeared for Nadal as he found himself 15-30 up during Auger-Aliassime's service game. Nadal has won a record-breaking 13 French Open titles.With two extraordinary passing shots, Nadal broke the young Canadian and wrapped up the match with little incident afterwards. Top seed and world No. 1 Djokovic, meanwhile, breezed through to the quarterfinals with a 6-1 6-3 6-3 win over Argentina's Diego Schwartzman. It continued his perfect start to the tournament in which he has yet to drop a set.«Obviously, a well-anticipated