TENNIS:RAFAEL NADAL simultaneously made history and stopped history in a denouement with Novak Djokovic that reserved the best of this disjointed, drenched Parisian drama for the final act. He beat the world number one over four sets and two sessions to secure a record seventh French Open title in eight years but the Spaniard could not have embroidered the occasion so beautifully without his formidable rival.
Djokovic fell short of his own grab at glory, a fourth grand slam in a row, each of those matches shared with Nadal, and it is clearer than ever that theirs is the new rivalry, whatever the protestations of Djokovic that Roger Federer, whom he beat to the point of dispiritedness in the semi-final, remains Nadals main threat. That is self-deprecation gone a step too far.
Gracious in defeat, Djokovic said of Nadal: “He’s definitely the best player in history on this surface and results are showing that hes one of the best players to have played the game. He’s only 26 years old. We are very young and we have played over 30 times against each other. Hopefully, we can have many more battles in the next years.”
It is a universally held hope.
Nadal, who celebrated in tears and laughter with his family in the stands after the match, said: “It’s probably the most special moment of my career. To hold this trophy is unforgettable, I suffered but I enjoyed it. the ball was heavier than ever and the conditions were much more favourable for Novak. But he played a great match. Today I was very nervous until three minutes before we started. Last night I read comic books.”
Nadal won 6-4, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 in three hours 49 minutes, the beneficiary of a clipped net cord that led to his breaking Djokovic’s serve at the start, and relieved to see a double-fault round it out at the end but a deserved winner nonetheless.
Had it gone to a fifth set, it was difficult to pick a winner, so close were they in the exchanges. But Nadal might have had the edge in precision and intensity, pulling out a couple of running forehands that defied description and had Djokovic shaking his head in disbelief. His serve was also a killer weapon.
At least there was no repeat of the chaos of Sunday evening, when they played the final hour in poor light on a wet and unreliable surface. Nadal, so distracted then that he dropped eight games in a row, ignored the elements yesterday and defied Djokovics best efforts in an exhibition of mutual power tennis that thrilled those fans who just about filled Court Philippe Chatrier on a working day.
The Serb refused to blame an interjection from the crowd on his last serve for the defeat. The final set lasted 49 minutes and was the most consistently brilliant of the four. Nadal won 125 points to 116, a fair measure of the contest. Guardian Service
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