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PARIS (Reuters) – Novak Djokovic had no illusions about the Herculean effort it would take to beat Rafa Nadal in Sunday’s French Open final, but even he was surprised by the level of perfection the Spaniard achieved to win a title 13 on the clay of Paris.
The 33-year-old Djokovic didn’t play badly in the final, but it took him 55 minutes to register his first match in what turned out to be a beating.
At the time, his task seemed as desperate as climbing the Eiffel Tower with his arms and legs bound and, although he fought valiantly, he was crushed 6-0 6-2 7-5.
“I don’t have much to say, but I was overtaken by Rafa, for the best player on the pitch,” top seed Djokovic, who many thought was a small favorite to end Nadal’s dominance at Roland Garros, told reporters.
“He didn’t miss at all and he got every ball back, he just played very well tactically. I felt good throughout the tournament. I thought he was in great shape.
“He certainly could have played better, especially in the first two sets. But he surprised me with the way he was playing, the quality of tennis he was producing,” added Djokovic.
“He’s phenomenal. He played a perfect match, especially in the first two sets.”
Eight of the first 11 games went for two, but every time Djokovic had a chance, Nadal would slam the door shut. Incredibly, the Spaniard made just 14 unforced errors and while Djokovic made 52, many were the result of desperation as he tried to figure out a way to stop the attack.
“It seems like he shouldn’t be held back. He’s amazing. I mean, I admire all his achievements, I mean, especially the one here,” Djokovic said of Nadal’s record at Roland Garros, which now reads 100-2 in terms of wins and defeats. .
Djokovic was 37-1 this year before the final, his only “loss” being his fault at the US Open when he hit a linesman with a ball in the fourth round.
Rarely does the sharp Djokovic make a mistake with his strategy, but he said his ploy to use the drop shot freely against Nadal, as he had done throughout the tournament, had failed.
Nadal read most of them and Djokovic’s hit rate with the shot was mediocre at best.
“It didn’t work out very well today, let’s say,” said Djokovic, who has now lost all three French Open finals in which he faced Nadal. “I was getting a lot of those dropshot points.
“I wanted to interrupt his rhythm, obviously. But he was ready. He was there, he was ready. Today he was playing all the right shots.”
(Reporting by Martyn Herman, edited by Ed Osmond)
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