Rafael Nadal defeated the Serbian superstar Novak Djokovic in the final match at Roland Garros to win the French Open singles title for the 9th time in his career.
It’s a miraculous achievement for any player especially in such a competitive era of tennis.
Nadal hadn’t shown great form on clay courts coming into this tournament and thus, a lot of people believed that he might not be able to defend his crown yet again at Roland Garros, but, the Spaniard proved all of those people wrong as he almost steam rolled over Novak Djokovic yesterday after losing the first set.
Speaking in the post match interview, Nadal said, “I had the strong desire to get better of him. I wanted this title badly. I was having a few problems, but, I was able to get through because of my mental strength.”
On the other hand, Djokovic was disappointed as hell after losing another opportunity to complete his career Grand Slam and becoming the first ranked player in the world. He even cried a little bit during the presentation ceremony which suggested how much he was hurting.
In the last few matches played between these two players, it was Djokovic who had been dominating and thus, there was a belief among the fans that he would push Nadal to the limits again, but, it wasn’t to be.
The Serb definitely looked a better player in the opening set, but, once, Nadal got himself going, it was all about him. He didn’t let the match drift away thereafter.
The crowd also, unsurprisingly, was more in the favour of Nadal than Djokovic. With every point that the reigning champion was winning, a loud cheer was coming off.
The heat might also be a factor behind the defeat of Djokovic who clearly seemed to be struggling in the decider, but, the credit can’t be taken away from Nadal who was simply sensational on the day.