Shadows were spreading across the court as the sun descended in the early evening and, though Djokovic complained to chair umpire Aurélie Tourte that the artificial lights were switched on, he shined when it mattered most. "I kind of felt like he could read my game a bit better, suddenly," Tsitsipas said.Ī supreme returner and imposer of his will, Djokovic accrued early breaks of serve in each of the third, fourth and fifth sets. The match was never quite the same Tsitsipas thought Djokovic's anticipation and movement improved. Trying to reset himself? Probably.Īfter the second set, Djokovic took one of each player's two allotted breaks. Tsitsipas broke again to lead 5-2 in that set, and Djokovic pressed a white towel against his face at a changeover.
The first set was tight as can be: Tsitsipas won 43 points, Djokovic 42.ĭjokovic began the second set with a double-fault and a swinging forehand volley that landed way long, then got broken with a wild forehand. Tournament winner Novak Djokovic passes his racquet to a young fan after the Roland Garros final. "It was not easy for me," Djokovic said, "both physically and mentally." It appeared the same fate awaited Sunday, when the 22-year-old Tsitsipas had the upper hand against a drained Djokovic. That was only Nadal's third loss in 108 matches at the clay-court major tournament.ĭjokovic also defeated Nadal in the 2015 quarterfinals before losing that year's final. The 34-year-old Djokovic eliminated 13-time French Open champion Nadal - a challenge the Serb likened to scaling Mt Everest - in a semifinal that lasted more than four hours Friday night. As the reigning champion at the Australian Open and French Open, he heads to Wimbledon, which starts June 28, eyeing another rare achievement: He is halfway to joining Laver and Don Budge as the only men with a calendar-year Grand Slam. Yes, his triumph went from in danger to inevitable: Djokovic did not face a break point in any of the last three sets.ĭjokovic became one of three men - alongside Rod Laver and Roy Emerson - to have won each major twice. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) (Getty)
Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece runs to return a shot in his Men's Singles Final match against Novak Djokovic of Serbia.
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