Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal know there’s something special about the two of them meeting in the French Open semifinals — even if they’d prefer, of course, for it to happen a round later.

“Each time we face each other, there’s that extra tension and expectations,” the top-seeded Djokovic said. “Just vibes are different walking on the court with him.”

The third-seeded Nadal’s take?

“In some way,” he said, “we are practicing, we are living the sport, for these moments.”

Whatever the quality of play might be between Nadal and Djokovic in Paris on Friday — their semifinal will follow the one between No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece and No. 6 Alexander Zverev of Germany — the numbers associated with the matchup are overwhelming.

Start with the big picture: Nadal is two wins away from his 21st Grand Slam title, which would break the men’s mark he currently shares with Roger Federer.