At the 2006 edition of the French Open, Novak Djokovic took one of the first great steps of his young career by reaching his first grand slam quarter-final at 19. He had already beaten three seeded players, including the explosive world No 9 Fernando González, but greatness awaited. Djokovic stepped on Court Philippe Chatrier for his first quarter-final against Rafael Nadal, the 20-year-old defending champion.
It was not quite the longest encounter of what became a 59‑match rivalry. Two sets in, Djokovic retired while trailing 6-4, 6-4 with a lower back injury. He said later that he had learnt from the match that Nadal was hardly unbeatable on clay and if his back had allowed him to serve properly he would have had his chances.
