Novak Djokovic has experienced just about everything in his 16 years on tour. But his five-set Roland Garros semi-final classic with Dominic Thiem, which spanned two days and featured numerous rain delays, winds topping 39 miles per hour and even a flying umbrella, was a first.

“One of the worst conditions I’ve ever been part of,” said Djokovic. “Obviously when you’re playing in hurricane kind of conditions, it’s hard to perform your best. It’s really just kind of surviving in these kind of conditions and trying to hold your serve and play one ball more in the court than your opponent. That’s what it felt like playing yesterday, to be honest.

“[Thiem] played great, especially in the important moments. Made some really good slices and passing shots. He just managed to put one extra ball in the court at the end of the match. He’s playing great tennis. He showed why he’s one of the best players in the world and I wish him the best for the final.”

Djokovic was just two matches from completing his second “Nole Slam” by holding all four majors at once. The World No. 1 had history on his side, having won 10 consecutive Grand Slam semi-finals entering Saturday’s match and going on to lift the trophy on eight occasions. But while the Serbian was visibly emotional in the latter stages of the fifth set, he insisted the possibility of creating history wasn’t on his mind.

“There is always something large at stake when you’re one of the top players of the world and play in the biggest tournaments,” said Djokovic. “It’s not any different this time.”

Despite the loss, Djokovic can be pleased with turning his form around during the clay-court season. After failing to reach the semi-finals in Indian Wells, Miami and Monte-Carlo, he rebounded with his 33rd ATP Masters 1000 title at the Mutua Madrid Open (d. Tsitsipas) and a runner-up finish at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia (l. to Nadal). He also gained ATP Rankings points this fortnight by surpassing his quarter-final finish from last year.

Read: How Thiem Can Enter The Year-End No. 1 Conversation

As the World No. 1 gears up for his next event, a title defence at Wimbledon, he believes there is plenty to build on from the past month.

“I don’t think I have done too much wrong in the entire tournament…I played great tennis throughout most of the clay-court season. I didn’t drop a set here until the semis,” said Djokovic. “This match was always going to be tough because Dominic is a fantastic player in general, but especially on clay. It’s just unfortunate [that in] these kinds of matches, one or two points decide a winner.”

In a roller-coaster Roland Garros semi-final Saturday, fourth seed and 2018 finalist Dominic Thiem holds a 6-2, 3-6, 7-5, 5-7, 4-1 lead against World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, but play was suspended due to rain at 2:22 p.m. local time.

Thiem is trying to become the first Austrian to reach multiple Grand Slam finals. And if the 25-year-old is able to accomplish the feat, he will end Djokovic’s 26-match major winning streak as well as the Serbian’ss hopes of claiming his fourth consecutive Slam title for the second time in his career. The winner of this match will face 11-time titlist Rafael Nadal in Sunday’s final.

Djokovic has far more experience than Thiem in five-setters, holding a 29-9 record to the fourth seed’s 6-6 tally, but Thiem has shown no fear in the decider, hitting seven winners thus far. When the players return to Court Philippe Chatrier, Djokovic will serve at deuce.

This is the third rain delay of the match, with play being stopped twice Friday in much windier conditions. The last time play was suspended, Friday evening, Thiem led 3-1 in the third set, relinquishing his advantage in his second service game Saturday, before ultimately winning the set.

Thiem is known for the overwhelming weight of his groundstrokes from the baseline as well as his speed around the court, but the Austrian has been especially effective with his drop shot on Saturday. The Austrian has been successful when he has been able to draw the top seed into net, as Djokovic has won just 27 of 61 net points in the match.

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If Thiem goes on to win the match, Djokovic will regret a big missed opportunity at 1-1 in the fifth set. Thiem hit a poor drop shot that the Serbian got to in plenty of time — perhaps in time to hit a standard groundstroke — but Djokovic shoveled a forehand long, and Thiem then broke in the next game.

Entering the match, Djokovic was the only player yet to lose a set at the clay-court Grand Slam. But the Serbian was bothered early Friday by the swirling wind — and with it, clay. While Thiem was solid, keeping his heavy groundstrokes safely in the court, the first set was moreso about Djokovic’s mistakes. He made eight unforced errors in the opener — including two when facing break point — to just one winner to give his 25-year-old opponent the lead.

But after the stars were sent into cover for less than 10 minutes as Thiem served at 6-2, 2-3, 30/0, Djokovic settled down immediately. The Serbian greatly reduced his errors, forcing Thiem to either outgrind him or go for more. And Djokovic converted his first break point of the match at 4-3 when Thiem launched a low forehand approach shot long.

Stats Through 4-1 in The Fifth Set

At the beginning of the third set, Thiem was no longer content to rally with Djokovic, instead going after his shots more to push the top seed back. That paid dividends at 2-1. After a massive gust of wind kept the Austrian from converting his first break chance of the game, Thiem did not let slip his next opportunity, dictating with his forehand to force an error to take the lead as the raindrops began to fall again.

But Djokovic was relentless when they returned Saturday, barely missing a shot and using great depth to keep Thiem back. The fourth seed saved two break points at 4-4, and just when it looked like Djokovic had all the momentum, Thiem turned things around to take a two-sets-to-one lead. 

The Austrian missed a backhand passing shot wide to give Djokovic a break at 2-1 in the fourth set. That was just the first of three consecutive breaks, though, with Djokovic emerging with a 3-2 lead. But once again the Serbian was unable to maintain the momentum, having to serve to stay in the match at 4-5. Djokovic remained steady, and Thiem perhaps showed nerves in double faulting to give the 2016 champion the break he needed to force a decider.

Djokovic leads the pair’s FedEx ATP Head2Head series 6-2, but Thiem has won two of their past three matches, including a straight-sets victory two years ago at Roland Garros. The top seed, who owns a 26-match winning streak at the majors, is just two victories from holding all four Grand Slam titles at the same time for the second time.

Thiem is trying to reach his second consecutive Roland Garros final. Last year, he lost in straight sets against Nadal on his first attempt at a maiden major trophy.

Did You Know?
Djokovic has won 10 consecutive Grand Slam semi-finals entering this match, going on to lift the trophy on eight of those occasions.

Former World No. 1 Andy Murray did his best to push through pain for a long time before undergoing right hip surgery on 28 January. The Scot’s highest priority was always getting back on the court to compete. Not anymore.

“During the whole injury troubles that I’d been having, tennis was the most important thing to me and getting back on the tennis court is what was going to make me happy,” Murray said in an interview with Amazon Prime. “Ultimately, once I got rid of the pain and I started to enjoy doing other things, fun things with my friends and my family, I’m pretty relaxed about whether I get back on the court competing again or not. It would be nice to, but if I don’t, I’m okay with that as well.”

Murray is currently scheduled to return to action on the doubles court at the Fever-Tree Championships, set to partner Spaniard Feliciano Lopez. It’s been just more than two months since the 45-time tour-level singles titlist started hitting balls again.

“It’s been really good so far. The first I’d say six or seven weeks were pretty hard. It’s just uncomfortable, and then trying to exercise through that as well isn’t particularly nice,” Murray said. “I’d probably say from weeks eight and nine, it’s really started to go quite nicely and I’ve been able to do a lot of things I’ve not done for a really, really long time without pain like playing golf, even going and walking the dogs. It’s fun and enjoyable now, whereas it was pretty uncomfortable for a couple years.”

? EXCLUSIVE ?
In this @primevideosport sit-down interview, @andy_murray talks…

✅ His journey through rehab
✅ Being woken up at 5am
✅ Support from fellow players pic.twitter.com/xDLKQ1ODtW

— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) June 7, 2019

In some ways, life has been different for Murray. There’s been more PlayStation, and early wakeups when needed to help at home — the Scot has two daughters.

“When I can help with the 5 o’clock wakeups and stuff, it’s [been] nice having me around. But probably the rest of the time they’d like me out of the house,” Murray joked.

“Maybe it’s something that if I do get back to playing that I’d try to do a bit more of, is try to spend a bit more time out in the cities and seeing sites and exploring. We get to go to amazing places, some of the nicest cities in the world, and often we spend most of our time at the courts and practising and in hotel rooms having room service,” Murray said. “It’s not what people might imagine it to be if you’re doing everything properly. But I think that’s something that definitely if I get back to playing I would try to make sure I enjoy the cities a little bit more than what I did.”

Murray’s last singles match before going under the knife was a five-set epic against Roberto Bautista Agut in the first round of the Australian Open that lasted more than four hours. Before the tournament, he had said it was possible that event would be his final one.

“In Australia, it was a tough time for me because I just didn’t know what the outcome of anything was going to be and [I had] the genuine feeling that I might not be playing again at that stage and a lot of the players around the Australian Open were really supportive and that was nice in what for me was quite a difficult time emotionally, mentally,” Murray said. “Since then, there have been a few players who have reached out from time to time in particular, kind of checking how I’m getting on.

“If the match I played in Australia was my last one, I mean, it would be an amazing way to finish as well. It was a great match, brilliant atmosphere. In a way it would have been a fitting end for me to finish that way because I did sort of struggle.”

While Murray isn’t entirely clear on what the future holds, he’s most thrilled that he physically feels better than he has in years. And if he is able to progress from doubles to singles, he won’t carry the same mentality to the court.

“If I do come back to play, I’m going to have a completely different perspective on things for sure than what I had for most of my career. It will be very different and I would want to enjoy it a lot more than what I did and experience different things and not just concentrate on the winning and success. That was what I was always basing success on,” Murray said. “I realise now that that isn’t actually the most important thing, which has taken quite a lot of years of playing the sport and going through a lot of ups and downs to realise that. I’d be okay with not playing again as well.”

Roger Federer has played 1,472 ATP Tour matches and faced hundreds of opponents throughout his 21-year career. But after his Roland Garros semi-final loss to Rafael Nadal, his sixth to the Spaniard at this event, he admitted his clay-court battles against the 11-time champion are unmatched in difficulty.

“He makes you feel uncomfortable the way he defends the court and plays on clay. There is nobody who even plays remotely close to him,” said Federer. “I don’t even know who I need to go search for to go practice with somebody who plays like him. It’s just amazing how he plays from deep and then is able to bounce back and forth from the baseline.”

The Swiss star powered into the semi-finals for the first time since 2012. Competing with a larger racquet head for the first time at the second major of the year, Federer’s backhand had more bite than in previous visits and allowed for even greater success in rushing the net. He won 127 of 175 net points (72.6%) in his first five rounds and went to the net 60 times in his quarter-final victory over Stan Wawrinka.

But Federer’s trips to the net on Friday had two things working against him. Not only does Nadal love a target, but brutal winds topping 39 miles per hour slowed his approaches and enabled the Spaniard to comfortably rip passing shots. Federer won just 17 of 35 net points on the day. 

Read: Will Federer Keep Rushing The Net Against Nadal?

“You get to a point where you’re just happy to make shots and not look ridiculous. It’s that bad,” said Federer of the swirling winds. “There is also no way to practice in these conditions. It’s all a mindset. It’s footwork…It was difficult, but I accept that. He played in an incredible way. He has incredible abilities on clay. I knew that ahead of time.”

Despite the loss, Federer can consider his clay-court season a success. Before the start of the clay season, the Swiss admitted being unsure if he remembered how to slide on the surface after not competing on it for three years. He finished it with a 9-2 record, only losing to Nadal and Dominic Thiem. Federer also amassed 1,080 ATP Rankings points during this stretch, cementing his position at No. 3 and moving him closer to catching Nadal at No. 2.

Read: Federer & Nadal’s History At Roland Garros

The always vocal Parisian fans showed their appreciation at having the chance to watch Federer for the first time since 2015, showering him with even more adoration than he typically received over the years on Court Philippe-Chatrier. The love from the crowd made the 20-time Grand Slam champion hint that his return to clay will become a staple in his final years on tour.

“I thought it was a great tournament. I really enjoyed it. Crowd support couldn’t have been better. Maybe one of the best ever in my entire 20-year career that I have been on tour at a Grand Slam,” said Federer. “They were always there for me, supporting me in practice, at the matches, on the grounds whenever I came and showed up. They were always happy to see me. So that was nice.

“I think I surprised myself maybe with how deep I got in this tournament and how well I actually was able to play throughout. Next year, just like with any other tournament, I don’t know. We’ll see what happens. But I definitely enjoyed the clay-court season and [Roland Garros], so that would help the chances to return to the clay. It’s not like it’s been a shocker. So from that standpoint, it’s okay.”