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Rafael Nadal won the final of the French Open. Against world number one Novak Djokovic, the Spaniard won 6: 0, 6: 2, 7: 5 after 2:41 hours. Both athletes displayed high-class tennis almost consistently, Nadal in particular played almost flawlessly over long stretches.
For Nadal it is the 13th title at Roland Garros and the 20th in a Grand Slam tournament. The 34-year-old now lives up to Roger Federer. Djokovic, 33, has 17 titles. The final victory was Nadal’s 100th success at the French Open. And it was special: as in the previous rounds, the Spanish did not deliver a set, so he marched to the title without losing a set.
Even the first game of the first set showed what strategy Djokovic wanted to use against Nadal. Over and over again he played stop balls that let Nadal run towards the net. Then, Djokovic threw a praise for the forward Nadal. Solo: The Spaniard almost always optimally anticipated, so he was quick to go back in time to keep the ball in play. The rallies that were worth watching unfolded, mainly with Nadal’s advantage.
Another problem for Djokovic: the first serve was too weird. Nadal quickly went ahead, at 20 minutes it was 3-0 for him. Then came one of the highlights of this meeting. In the next game, both athletes displayed strokes, executed almost to perfection, that did not immediately lead to a point gain because the other player returned them so well that they moved over and over again. Nadal and Djokovic exchanged blows for about twelve minutes, then the fourth game was decided, in favor of Nadal, 4-0. It was the preliminary decision in the first sentence.
Did Djokovic need a sense of accomplishment to find his way to the match? Would the duel then take a different course? The answer to these questions was provided by the second sentence, and it was no. Nadal played too flawlessly to be treated. Djokovic eventually won a game himself at the beginning of the second round serving through his serve. Nadal, however, responded with precise punches, barely making an unforced error: in these statistics he was clearly ahead of the Serbs. Djokovic’s lead didn’t last long, he received a quick break and didn’t even have a break opportunity the entire set.
In the third movement Djokovic draws hope
The moment that gave Djokovic hope came in the middle of the third round. With a 3-2 lead for Nadal, the Serbian made a break for the first time that afternoon. Djokovic celebrated with a fervent shout, urging the few spectators in the stadium to make more noise. This self-control took effect, a little later Nadal was left behind in this match for the first time, 3: 4.
Nadal also found the correct answer to a setback like this. He tied, made the next break and finally served to win the match with a score of 6: 5 and 40: 0. After his victory was perfect, Nadal fell to his knees; he had probably shown the best performance in this tournament against the strongest opponent. The reward was the fourth consecutive victory in the final of the French Open.
