David Ferrer nearly foiled the return of a blockbuster rivalry, but that's what the determined Spaniard does. He took Rafael Nadal to a third set in Friday's Monte Carlo Masters quarterfinals before succumbing, setting up another Nadal-Novak Djokovic clash.
Certainly, this battle will headline the weekend, but there's a lot more going on in the world of tennis. Let's take a look:
The renewal of an all-time rivalry
Hard to believe, but it's been nearly a year since we've seen another chapter of the most prolific matchup in the ATP's Open era. The last time Djokovic faced Nadal, the Serb fell in four sets in the French Open final, a particularly painful setback given what was at stake for the world No. 1. At the beginning of 2014, Djokovic declared his goal was to win at Roland Garros and complete the career Slam, an accomplishment that would have undoubtedly parlayed his status from great player to rare superstar in becoming only the eighth player to join this elite pantheon.
Djokovic remains resolute in winning the French, but first things first: the Monte Carlo Masters semifinals. This will be the 43rd head-to-head battle, four more than the next richest Open-era rivalry between Djokovic and Roger Federer.
Two years ago, Djokovic thwarted Nadal in the Monte Carlo final 6-2, 7-6 (1). While Nadal won the other two battles in Monaco, the Serb has won four of the past five overall, including a three-setter in the Rome championships a year ago. If current form is any indication, Djokovic should have a clear advantage. Through three matches, he's dropped a total of 12 games, and this includes a 6-0, 6-3 drubbing of reigning US Open champion Marin Cilic in the quarterfinals.
Nadal is coming off a laborious effort against Ferrer, who took the 14-time Slam winner to a third set. Nadal's game went awry at times, especially in the second set. With a less-than-stellar start to 2015, Nadal is wielding a new blacked-out racket with "more space between the strings," meaning the frame will augment spin at the expense of some of the control bestowed by rackets with a denser string pattern. Nadal will need to be under full control against Djokovic.
The bottom line: Djokovic looks like he'll have an advantage, but we'd encourage hedging before putting up any serious coin.
Tomas Berdych and Gael Monfils will square off in the other semifinal.
Hingis set for her singles return
Eight years ago, Martina Hingis was struggling to stay relevant. Hindered by a hip injury, she reached the fourth round in Australia, missed the French Open and fell in the third round at both Wimbledon and the US Open.
In November that year, Hingis tested positive for benzoylecgonine, a compound found in most cocaine urinalyses, and was ultimately suspended for two years. The five-time Grand Slam winner decided to retire -- for a second time. Hingis didn't disappear from tennis, though. She was a central figure in World Team Tennis and played a host of Legends events. In 2013, the same year she was inducted into the International Hall of Fame, Hingis announced she was coming back to play doubles. Since then, she's won seven titles, including last week's Family Circle Cup with partner Sania Mirza.
Now Hingis is taking her comeback to the next level. This weekend, she will return to singles action in Switzerland's Fed Cup World Group Playoffs tie against Poland, where she will face off against Agnieszka Radwanska. Hingis, 34, hasn't played a WTA-level singles match since 2007, and while her credentials speak for themselves, her plush résumé is a result of her triumphs as a teenager. All five of Hingis' majors came before she turned 18.
Hingis and Radwanska played once, at the 2007 Sony Ericsson Open, with the current world No. 9 winning in three sets.
Serena show moves to Italy
The United States is the most dominant Fed Cup team in history. With 17 titles, the country has more than twice as many trophies as the second-place Czech Republic (eight), but this U.S. team has been relegated to a World Group Playoff this weekend. Nonetheless, main draw or not, Serena Williams has decided to play, and that's big news.
Undefeated this season at 18-0, Williams comes in fresh off a Miami Open title. Matter of fact, Williams last lost a match in the 2014 WTA Finals, but that came in the round-robin stage against Simona Halep. Williams rebounded and went on to win the year-end championship, crushing Halep in the final 6-3, 6-0.
Williams and the U.S. will be on the road in Brindisi, Italy, where Camila Giorgi awaits. It's somewhat surprising that it's Giorgi, and not Fed Cup stalwart Flavia Pennetta, who got the starting nod. Pennetta, who holds an 0-6 record against Williams, said she'd be ready to play Sunday if need be.
Now perhaps, Williams' decision to play is somewhat self-serving. Under the new qualification rules for the 2016 Olympics, a competitor must play at least four Fed or Davis Cup ties to become eligible. Williams has competed only once since the 2012 Games in London.
But that shouldn't detract from her passion for team competition.
"I've had some great opportunities to play in the Fed Cup, and fortunately I've had some good wins," Williams said to the press. "Hopefully I can continue that tradition."
Kvitova hoping to extend Fed Cup dominance
Despite two Wimbledon titles, Petra Kvitova has been plagued by inconsistency throughout her career. This year alone, aside from a title in Sydney in January, Kvitova has played sparingly, citing exhaustion for the past two months. She didn't play the spring hard-court double at Indian Wells or Miami.
Nonetheless, Kvitova is an indomitable, if not passionate, Fed Cup player. She's 23-6 in her career and has been the linchpin of three Czech Republic titles in the past four years. The world No. 4 will take on Frenchwoman Kristina Mladenovic in the second singles match Saturday in the semifinals.
The French enter the tie as prohibitive underdogs, but that hasn't hurt their optimism.
"There is a big challenge ahead of us, but let's see how it goes," coach Amelie Mauresmo told the press. "I think the story is still to be written. Definitely they are better than us on paper. But on one or two days maybe things can be different and I will try to have them do it."
The Russians will host Germany in the other semifinal.