‘Novak Djokovic deserved to win, he was the better player,’ says Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal says Novak Djokovic deserved to beat him at the French Open because he was the ‘better player’ on the night.

Nadal endured a rare Roland Garros defeat on Friday night in a brilliant match, which world number one Djokovic ended up taking 3-6, 6-3, 7-6, 6-2.

After the match, though, Nadal said he was not in the mood for excuses, and he simply had to accept that Djokovic was a worthy winner.

“The better player deserved to win,” Nadal said after the match. “He deserved to win.

“Probably it was not my best day today, even if I fought. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.

“I had a big chance. There were crazy points. The fatigue is there. Well done for him. A good fight for him. Tried my best.

“I can player better, that’s reality. But at the end, the conditions were a little slower, which is not an excuse, because in our sport, the one that deals the best with the conditions deserves to win.

“Credit to him. What can I add? I won a lot here but I couldn’t today, that’s reality.”

Djokovic will now play Stefanos Tsitsipas in the French Open final on Sunday as he bids for a 19th major.