PARIS—In 2006, Rafael Nadal entered his quarterfinal match as the defending French Open champion after celebrating his 20th birthday a few days prior. His opponent: 19-year-old Novak Djokovic. The match wasn’t especially memorable. Nadal brought his singular blend of intensity and left-handed lasers and won the first two sets 6-4, 6-4, before Djokovic retired.
Even the most prescient of tennis fans would never have guessed that match would be the first salvo in a rivalry spanning more than 15 years between two players likely to win more major men’s singles titles than any other in history.
On Tuesday evening here, fans will get what they came for—a quarterfinal match discerning observers had predicted as soon as the draw came out.