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WORLD number one Novak Djokovic beat Britain’s Andy Murray to win his first French Open title and complete the career Grand Slam. The Serb, 29, won 3-6 6-1 6-2 6-4 to win his 12th major title and become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all four Grand Slams at once. Murray had hoped to secure the third leg of his own career Slam, having already won Wimbledon and the US Open.
The Scot, 29, was Britain’s first male finalist in Paris since 1937. Second seed Murray played superbly to win the first set but could not convert a break point early in the second, and Djokovic took control to win in three hours.
He becomes only the eighth man in history to have won all four of the sport’s major singles prizes – and could yet match Laver’s achievement of winning all four in a calendar year. Djokovic fell back on the clay in delight and relief after requiring two breaks of serve and four match points in a desperately tense end to the final.
With three-time champion Gustavo Kuerten watching from the stands, Djokovic then emulated the Brazilian by drawing a heart in the clay with his racquet. “It’s a very special moment, the biggest of my career,” said Djokovic. “I felt today something that I never felt before at Roland Garros, I felt the love of the crowd.—BBC Sport
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