PARIS—Rafa Nadal understands it will be a “big challenge” for him to beat Novak Djokovic in Tuesday’s French Open quarter-final but the 13-times winner vowed not to shy away from a fight against the world number one.
Nadal had won the French Open four years in a row before losing to eventual champion Djokovic in the semifinals last year—just the third time he had been beaten at the claycourt major since his debut in 2005.
That was also the last of the 58 career showdowns between the pair and Djokovic has looked in peak form at this year’s tournament, having not dropped a set in his four rounds….