Rafael Nadal looks to reach his 14th French Open final

• The Spaniard is battling a persistent, long-term foot problem.
• Rafael Nadal beat Novak Djokovic in five sets to reach his 15th French Open semifinal.
• The victory was Nadal’s 110th in 17 years at Roland Garros.

Rafael Nadal hopes to celebrate his 36th birthday on Friday by advancing to his 14th French Open final, which he admits may be the last of his record-setting career.

Nadal, a 13-time winner, meets Alexander Zverev of Germany, but it is evident that his persistent, long-term foot problem has put him on borrowed time.

“The last three months and a half for me, the only thing that I can say is haven’t been easy,” said the Spaniard after his epic four-set win over old rival Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals.

Read more: ‘I wish I was was a man’, say Zheng Qinwen as her French Open title fades away

“But I have to keep going.”

Nadal, in pursuit of a record-breaking 22nd Grand Slam victory to go two ahead of Djokovic and Roger Federer, is diligently searching for a solution to his foot problem.

“If we are not able to find an improvement or a small solution, then it’s becoming super difficult for me.

“I am just enjoying every day that I have the chance to be here, and without thinking much about what can happen in the future.

Read more: Tommy Robredo announces retirement after Barcelona Open loss

Finding a solution

“I’m going to keep fighting to find a solution, but for the moment, we haven’t.”

The victory over reigning champion and world number one Djokovic was Nadal’s 110th in 17 years at Roland Garros.

In order to reach his 15th semifinal in the French capital, he had to exhaust all of his resources.

In the fourth round, it took him four hours and 21 minutes to defeat Felix Auger-Aliassime in a match that went to five sets for only the third time in the event.

He required four hours and 12 minutes against Djokovic, saving two set points in the fourth set to escape another five-setter.

Read more: Marin Cilic, Casper Ruud enter French Open semifinals for the first time

At the French Open, Djokovic is responsible for two of Nadal’s three defeats.

Rafael Nadal is still the favorite to win on Sunday despite the elimination of his longtime nemesis, the world’s second-ranked player, Daniil Medvedev, and the fourth-ranked player, Stefanos Tsitsipas.

He has a 6-3 record against Zverev and has won four of their five clay-court encounters.

Zverev, who is 11 years younger than Nadal, has yet to win a Grand Slam. He advances to his second consecutive French Open semifinal.

For the latest Sports News Follow BOL News on Google News. Read more on Latest Sports News on oldsite.bolnews.com