“It was one of the best matches in my life” said Greek tennis player Stefanos Tsitsipas after his victory over Rafael Nadal at the semifinals of the Mutua Madrid Open with 6-4, 2-6, 6-3.

“Players like Nadal play with your mind; you always have the feeling that you must play the best tennis against him, to make the ideal approach. It was the most difficult match I have ever played…you can’t understand my relief (after three defeats in equal number of matches). It was incredible. I am really happy and the most important is that I won him on clay”, Tsitsipas said.

The 20-year-old Greek, who climbed to No7 in ATP rankings, will face Novak Djokovic ( No1 in ATP rankings) in the final on Sunday after the Serb defeated Austrian Dominique Thiem with 7-6, 7-6.

Tsitsipas will be playing his fourth final of the year, after picking up the trophies in Marseille and Estoril, as well as reaching the last round in Dubai.