The moment Novak Djokovic accepted that being part of the Roger Federer/Rafael Nadal era was a chance, not a curse, everything improved for him. After winning his first French Open title, world's number one tennis player holds all four grand slams at the same time.

World number one Novak Djokovic fends off a resurgent Rafael Nadal 7-5 7-6 (4) in a pulsating battle on Friday to reach the semifinals of the Italian Open.

Spain's Rafael Nadal set up a likely quarterfinal clash with defending champion Novak Djokovic at the Rome Masters on Thursday after battling past Australian upstart Nick Kyrgios 6-7 (3/7), 6-2, 6-4 in the third round.

Novak Djokovic heads for Rome this week crediting an unscheduled pause in his claycourt season with helping him clinch a record 29th Masters title.