PARIS — When the French Open was over, the sun finally came out, which seemed a wholly inappropriate reflection of the cold and clammy tournament that had just ended.
Unless that is you were Novak Djokovic.
He has been waiting 12 years to put an end to his frustrations at Roland Garros, and after Sunday afternoon, it can no longer be argued that he is the best men’s clay-court player never to win the French Open.
Djokovic, the 29-year-old Serb who is the world’s dominant player, stared down the past and all the salt, vinegar and baseline brilliance that Andy Murray could muster to win the title, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4.
“It’s a very special day, perhaps the biggest moment of my career,” Djokovic said in French to the tough-to-conquer Parisian crowd that has gradually come to embrace him and his quest.
The victory made Djokovic the eighth man in tennis history to complete the career Grand Slam. More remarkably, he became the third man in history after Don Budge and Rod Laver to hold all four of the major singles titles at the same time.
“This is his day today,” said Murray, the No. 2 seed from Britain, in a classy post-match speech. “What he’s achieved in the last 12 months is phenomenal. Winning all four of the Grand Slams in one year is an amazing achievement. It’s something that is so rare in tennis. You know it’s not happened for an extremely long time, and it’s going to take a long time for it to happen again. Everyone here who came to watch is extremely lucky to see it.”
Though Djokovic has won the four major tournaments in the last 12 months, he has not won them all in the same calendar year, which is what defines the true Grand Slam. But he is now in position to chase one of the ultimate prizes in international sports, just as Serena Williams did last year before faltering within sight of success in the semifinals of the United States Open.
Djokovic beat Murray to win the Australian Open and French Open this year and is now the first man to complete the first two legs of the Grand Slam since Jim Courier in 1992.
There are more numbers, plenty of them. This was Djokovic’s 12th Grand Slam singles title, tying him with Roy Emerson for fourth on the career list and putting him within increasingly close range of his long-running rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Federer has the career men’s record with 17 major singles titles; Nadal and Pete Sampras are next with 14. But Djokovic is still at the peak of his powers at age 29 and still paying close attention to the details — diet, recovery, flexibility — that might help him stay at the summit longer than usual.
He is quite a conundrum for the opposition with his elastic groundstrokes, big serve and world-class returns. He can make a tennis court look dauntingly cramped as you face him across the net.
He had his hiccups in this clay-court season, losing to Jiri Vesely in his opening match in Monte Carlo. He had his flashes of anger and frustration: pushing chair umpire Carlos Bernardes’s arm away while examining a ball mark in Rome and throwing his racket during his quarterfinal match in this tournament and narrowly missing a linesman.
He also had to deal with the fallout of a historically rainy Paris spring and was forced to play singles on four straight days before getting a break on Saturday to prepare for the final.
But even though Murray, who came out of the bottom half of the draw, did not have to adjust to the same sort of scheduling constraints, he actually had played quite a bit more tennis coming into Sunday.
Djokovic lost just one set in his first six matches, which required a total of 12 hours and 54 minutes to complete. Murray needed 17 hours and 50 minutes of tennis to reach the final. He was pushed to five sets in his first two rounds and later dropped sets (understandably) against Richard Gasquet and Wawrinka.
Beating Djokovic at this stage of his career requires all the resources and resolve a man can muster. Although Murray is a phenomenal tennis player, he remains undeniably in Djokovic’s shadow.
Both 29 years old, their rivalry dates back to European junior days. Murray has had his moments: beating Djokovic to win the United States Open and, above all, Wimbledon, where Murray put an end to a 77-year-drought for British men in singles. He also beat Djokovic on his way to Olympic gold at the All England Club in 2012.
But he could not find a way to end Britain’s 81-year men’s drought at Roland Garros even though he had beaten a weary Djokovic in straight sets on the same surface last month in the final in Rome.
Djokovic leads their head-to-head series 24-10 and holds an 8-2 edge in Grand Slam play. But amid all the statistical updates, there was clearly a number that mattered most to the remarkable Serbian champion on Sunday.
That number was one. Many a great player has slipped up and failed to win the title at Roland Garros. The list includes Sampras, Jimmy Connors, Bill Tilden, John McEnroe, Pancho Gonzales, John Newcombe, Stefan Edberg and Djokovic’s coach, Boris Becker.
But Djokovic – with one title in Paris to his name – is now on a different list with former French champions like Bjorn Borg, Nadal, Ivan Lendl and the effervescent Brazilian Gustavo “Guga” Kuerten who was in the front row of the stands on Sunday.
And when Djokovic served out the match and the championship on his second attempt in the fourth set, he fell to the clay and lay on his back spread eagled before rising and jogging forward to embrace Murray who had stepped over the net to greet him.
He then went back to the baseline not long after that and reprised Kuerten’s famous celebration at Roland Garros, drawing a heart in the clay with his racket and then lying down again.
He was a man complete, a tennis champion complete, and the sun soon joined him.
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19 Comments
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brupic
nara/greensville 16 minutes agono doubt that djokovic is head and shoulders above everybody at this time. however, I wish somebody would do a full piece on laver. guy won two grand slams and missed the chance to win god knows how many more majors because of the system at the time--as did many others. Federer, nadal, djokovic et al can't be blamed for that. however, many casual fans must wonder why laver is always shown at majors and why so many tennis players revere him so many years after he's been out of the game....
Veritas
Istanbul 16 minutes agoThis guy deserved it.with a science behind and dedication and concentration.i bought his diet book that proves his methods quite right.i advise it to everybody
Sherr29
New Jersey 16 minutes agoHe plays well but, frankly, I just don't like him. Some people you like because they combine great skill with charm and charisma and artistry and effortlessness when he was in his prime -- that's Federer. Nadal has charm, charisma, skill and power plus tremendous sex appeal. Djokovic has tremendous skill and power but the other ingredients are missing. In fact, he and Murray are rather alike -- Murray has great skill but little charm and no charisma. I can feel him sweating and grinding. Djokovic are both boring in different ways and there is no beauty in either of their games.
Bob
Seaboard 29 minutes agoJelena Gen?i? would have savored this one.
Calendar Grand Slam next unless someone steps up.
Kit
Siasconset, MA 29 minutes ago''Twas a great match. Both men should be proud but Djokovic was perfection!
Wendell Murray
Kennett Square PA USA 29 minutes agoI saw some of the first set. Unusual errors by Mr Djokovic in the games that I watched, but apparently he become more consistent in the latter 3 sets.
Yes, he is a talented individual both as a tennis player and as a learner of languages. I have not heard his French, but his knowledge of Italian is very good, as is his knowledge of English.
Andy Murray looked good in the few games that I watched in the first set. When I checked the score later, I was surprised to see it so favorable to Mr Djokovic. Mr Djokovic's dominance of his fellow players continues to surprise me however. No question that he is remarkably persistent. That is probably an inherent personality trait that plays a role in his current dominance.
Leora Dowling
Burlington, VT 29 minutes agoNole, as his fans warmly call him, is a class act. It's not easy to come up behind popular players like the great Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. For years fans screamed for Roger or Rafa. All the while Nole practiced, persevered, remained gracious, and triumphed with trophy after trophy. In Paris he finally got the love from the fans he craved so much--and that is so well deserved. He is smart and funny---kind to kids, grateful to his fans, and generous in spirit. I admire his work ethic so much. Novak Djokovic is good for tennis and for sport.
Russell Czarnecki
1 hour ago
Nole...you are THE MAN ! What a sport's professional you are-- ALWAYS a pleasure to watch your matches;thank you for providing such top notch entertainment. Good luck to you !
Kris
NYC 1 hour agoI never thought I'd say this, but men's tennis is now in worse shape than women's. At least 3 different women won their first Grand Slam titles in the last 3 major tournaments, but with Federer and Nadal finally crumbling physically and none of the other men showing anything aside from an occasional Wawrinka or Murray win, it looks like we're going to have to watch the brilliant but dull Djokovic win everything for the next few years. He's the equivalent of the New Jersey Devils when that team was winning Stanley Cups: technically flawless but boring.
Bev
New York 29 minutes agoSome of us find his play innovative and compelling..Andy is also great to watch. Their games are similiar. Both Novak and Andy are phenomenal and unpredictable players. I love watching the two of them play each other. Andy will get him again, perhaps in July..a great rivalry!
Leora Dowling
Burlington, VT 29 minutes agoAll that sliding, the amazing gets, and long rallies bore you?
bigoil
california 2 hours agoDjokovic's on-court brilliance is matched by his razor-sharp intellect... not unlikely that these attributes plus his popularity will eventually take him to the Presidency of Serbia
April
NY, NY 2 hours agoCongratulations Novak! You are a most deserving champion. Four times you were in finals and lost the last three years. Paris came to love you for your grace in defeat and wished you well this year. Holding four Grand Slams in a row is an incredible feat and you beast both Andy and Roger twice to accomplish this monumental task. Have fun, bask in your success and I hope Nadal and Federer get well soon. Andy, you will win more finals if you take a risk and play aggressive tennis. You can do it. You are a wonderful champion too.
tico vogt
saratoga springs, ny 2 hours agoAn impressive accomplishment by a champion who never gives an inch. I just wish the tennis was more compelling to watch. Somehow all the greatness doesn't translate into tennis I am eager to behold.
John
Summit 2 hours agoHe's the Djoker, he's a smoker, he's a big time tennis stroker, he makes his living on the run....ooh.
Chris Chiappetti
NYC 2 hours agoBravo Nole. Well earned for a true sportsman. Sincerely, Federer fan.
irate citizen
nyc 2 hours agoHad nothing to do with how many hours each played. He just kicked the stuffing out of Murray, plain and simple.
SJ
London 1 hour agoUmm, no... He certainly did not kick the stuffing out of Andy. Andy WON the first set, by a wide margin. And he rallied in the 4th set, it was not a repeat of sets 2 and 3.
19 Comments
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