Number 1 in the world, Novak Djokovic.
Christophe Archambault | AFP | Getty Images
Novak Djokovic celebrated another typical comeback when he won his second French Open title and the 19th Grand Slam with a win in five sets over Stefanos Tsitsipas.
The world number 1 once again showed his extraordinary powers of recovery to beat Greek star Tsitsipas 6-7 (6-8) 2-6 6-3 6-2 6-4 to just one title from Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. to reach .
Tsitsipas saved a set point to win a convincing tie-breaker opener and seemed on track for the title as he comfortably took second place, but Djokovic once again showed why he can never be written off and aimed for one another Grand Slam victory.
Djokovic said: “The atmosphere was incredible a few days ago against Rafa and today against Stefanos. Unforgettable games, unforgettable moments for me, for my career, for my life. I will definitely remember those last 48 hours for the rest of my life . ” . “
Tsitsipas won a seesaw opener after the Greek star won eight out of nine points by denying Djokovic the chance to serve the set 6-5 before sealing a dramatic tie-break under a clear blue sky in Paris.
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Djokovic’s forays into an epic semi-final win over old enemy Nadal seemed to weigh him down as the fifth-seeded, who played in his very first Grand Slam final, didn’t seem to show any signs of nervousness as he ran away on the second set.
The Serb had his back to the wall, but in his 29th Grand Slam final, he typically responded with an 11-minute fourth marathon game to break Tsitsipas’ resistance and made only four casual mistakes on the way to victory .
Tsitsipas took a medical break for a hip injury prior to the start of the fourth round and was instantly broken when 34-year-old Djokovic took over the proceedings on Court Philippe Chatrier.
A daring drop shot gave Djokovic a double break and it wasn’t long before the top seed raced through the set and sent the final into a play-off.
Tsitsipas, who won the biggest career title of his career in London when he won the 2019 year-end ATP final, appeared disabled on his backhand side when Djokovic broke for an early 2-1 lead.
He had a hand on La Coupe des Mousquetaires when he held 5-3, but despite Tsitsipas running on vapors, he still had enough in the tank to get Djokovic to spend it.
Amid a crescendo of noise, Djokovic did what he does best and played some clutch tennis to win the Roland Garros title with his second championship point after four hours and 11 minutes.
Tsitsipas believed Djokovic returned as a completely different player after taking a toilet break after two sets.
“What I’ve learned is that to end the match, you have to win three sets, not two. Two sets don’t really mean anything. It’s still one way from winning the entire match,” the 22nd-year-old said -Year-old from Athens.
“I don’t think I’ve changed much, I just kept the same pace. I kept the things that worked for me. He left the pitch after two sets to make love and suddenly came like one other player back to me, I don’t know, I have no idea, he played really well, he didn’t give me any space.
“Despite my defeat today, I have confidence in my game. I firmly believe that I can reach this point very soon (win a Grand Slam). Today I was close.”