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RAfael Nadal has owned Roland Garros for most of his career. Whether Novak Djokovic can take over the lease on Sunday afternoon depends on two factors: the desire of the Spaniard and the Serbian’s neck.
Over six matches there have been no signs of the champion’s will failing as he has struggled to win every set. It’s less certain if Djokovic’s body, particularly that area that runs from the top of the spine to the tips of the fingers, can withstand the pressure of the championship, regardless of the strength of his fight to beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in five sets in the second semi-final. final Friday night. Nadal’s earlier firing of Diego Schwartzman had its anxious moments, but there was little doubt that it would prevail.
The answer will come at the end of this 53rd French Open, 12 of which Nadal has won since his debut in 2005. Djokovic disrupted his reign in the 2015 quarterfinals and took the crown in his forced absence through injury in 2016. but otherwise this kingdom has been ruled from Majorca.
Djokovic cites his match from five years ago as reason to believe he has a good chance of winning. What he has brought to the discussion is the element of uncertainty that makes big sporting occasions memorable. When he saved two match points to stop Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final last year, he confirmed that his ability to unsettle his teammates is as strong as ever. If he can stand, he will keep hitting.
Jim Courier, the American who won twice here, is as unsure as most about the outcome. “Rafa was fabulous,” he said on ITV. “I liked the adjustments he made since the Rome game [when he lost to Schwartzman in the quarter-finals]. I liked that he was changing his position back from duty a bit.
“He has been in the normal Rafa form that we were used to seeing in this tournament. It has not been too challenged. He arrives fresh to another final and knows that it will be a difficult match. It’s going to be a colossal battle between these two titans. So much is at stake. It’s just great to see these two incredible players do it again here at Roland Garros in the final with so much going on.
“It will be difficult to finish points. Sunday will be colder… and the drop shot will be key for both of us. Rafa feels a little more comfortable with the forehand drop shot and Novak a little more comfortable with the backhand. We will look for that for sure in the final ”.
Those are strategies and tactics. What is more difficult to measure is feeling and instinct. Chris Evert, another American in Paris who triumphed here, seems to lean towards Djokovic. “Novak is not human sometimes,” he told Eurosport. “I look at Nadal and I see a warrior, fighting for everything. It’s going to leave blood on the court. I look at Djokovic and I see more of a robot but in a good way. The mental part of his game is one level ahead of all others. Is awesome.”
Those who saw Nadal strengthen himself against the stubborn challenge of Schwartzman would put his mental toughness on par with Djokovic’s, because none of the finalists have given up on him. If Djokovic were to win, he would have to keep playing until he was 43 years old and win all the French slam to reach Nadal’s count in Paris, where the Open era began in 1968. Some records are fireproof and that is the safest of the world. game. .
However, there is a jackpot at stake. Win or lose on Sunday, Djokovic is the favorite to overtake Nadal and Roger Federer en route to racking up the most trophies in all four Grand Slams. Together they add up to 56 majors, 20 of them belonging to Federer, 39, who is out of the fight19 of them from Nadal and 17 from Djokovic, a year younger than his active rival.
But all that is history, past, present and to come. What matters is the final at the end of a strange and important tournament that would not have been held at all during the coronavirus pandemic if it weren’t for the determination of the FFT, desperate for cash in its beautiful and expensive refurbished setting.
In front of the daily elite of 1,000 spectators admitted as if it were a royal banquet at Versailles, Nadal and Djokovic have fought their way to the most likely conclusion. It will be five bloody sets, and Nadal will be champion again.
