adminParis. — Rafael Nadal demolished Novak Djokovic 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 to win his 13th French Open tennis title and equal Roger Federer’s all-time record of 20 Grand Slam titles yesterday.
For world number one Djokovic, the defeat ended his hopes of an 18th Slam and of becoming the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to win all four majors twice.
Nadal, 34, claimed his 100th match win at Roland Garros against just two defeats since his 2005 debut.
The Spaniard, the oldest champion in Paris since Andres Gimeno in 1972, claimed the title without dropping a set.
He finished the one-sided affair with just 14 unforced errors to his opponent’s 52.
“Congrats to Novak for another great tournament. Sorry for today. We’ve played plenty of times together – one day one wins, another the other,” said Nadal.
“After all the things I have been through in my career with injuries, I could not have done it without my family.”
Nadal said he wasn’t even thinking about matching Federer’s record.
“It’s been a very tough year. Winning here means everything to me so it’s not about equalling Roger on 20, for me today it’s just a Roland Garros victory.
“Roland Garros means everything to me. I spent most of the most important moments of my tennis career here.
“Just playing here is a true inspiration. The love story I have with this court and city is unbelievable.”
The 56th meeting between the world’s top two started under the roof of Court Philippe Chatrier, intensifying the echo of a crowd limited to 1,000 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Conventional wisdom suggested that would favour Djokovic but nobody told Nadal who broke three times in the 45-minute opening set.
The Spaniard hit 10 winners and just two unforced errors.
Djokovic’s error count was 13 with the out-of-sorts Serb even squandering three break points of his own in the fourth game.
More worrying for the world number one — Nadal improved to 111-0 when winning the first set of best-of-five matches on clay in his career.
It was the first opening set ‘bagel’ in a Roland Garros final since 2004 when Gaston Gaudio recovered to defeat Argentine compatriot Guillermo Coria in five sets.
Djokovic finally got on the board with a service hold in the first game of the second set but Nadal maintained his relentless push, going to a double break for 4-1 as even the Serb’s usual deft touches on the drop shot deserted him.
Nadal wrapped up a two-set lead with his unforced error count at just six to Djokovic’s 30.
Nadal broke for the sixth time for a 3-2 lead in the third before Djokovic suddenly restored his reputation as the sport’s best returner by carving out his first break of the afternoon for 3-3.
However, there was to be no miracle recovery as a double fault handed Nadal a 6-5 lead and he took the title with an ace.
Meanwhile Polish teenager Iga Swiatek won her country’s first Grand Slam singles title on Saturday as she defeated American fourth seed Sofia Kenin 6-4, 6-1 to become the youngest women’s champion at French Open tennis tournament since 1992.
The 19-year-old Swiatek, at 54 the lowest-ranked woman to capture the Roland Garros title in the modern era, is the ninth first-time major champion in the past 14 Grand Slams.
“It had to be like that another underdog won a Grand Slam in women’s tennis. It is so often right now that it is crazy,” said Swiatek, who captured her first tour title in the process.
“I don’t know what’s going on. It’s overwhelming for me, it’s crazy.
“Two years ago I won a junior Grand Slam (at Wimbledon) and now I’m here. It feels like such a short time.”
Swiatek is the youngest women’s Roland Garros winner since Monica Seles lifted the trophy as an 18-year-old in 1992. She is the first teenage champion since Iva Majoli in 1997.
“It’s crazy for me because I watched Rafael Nadal lift the trophy every year and now I’m in the same place,” she said.
Swiatek also became just the second unseeded women’s Roland Garros champion in the Open era, joining Jelena Ostapenko who claimed a shock title three years ago.
She eclipsed the run of compatriot Jadwiga Jedrzejowska — the most outstanding Polish player of the interwar period — who finished runner-up at Roland Garros in 1939.
Swiatek was only the second Polish woman to reach a Grand Slam final in the Open era after Agnieszka Radwanska at Wimbledon in 2012. She had never previously been beyond the last 16.
Australian Open champion Kenin (21) was attempting to become the first woman to capture two Slams in the same year since Angelique Kerber in 2016.
“I just want to congratulate Iga on a great tournament and a great match. You played really well,” said Kenin.
Swiatek, whose only previous tour-level final came at Lugano last year, dispelled any initial fear of nerves as she won 12 of the first 15 points to surge 3-0 ahead.
However, Kenin has made a habit of fighting through tough situations in Paris and broke back when Swiatek served an untimely double fault allowing the American to level at 3-all.
Swiatek, who bludgeoned her way into the championship match, conceding just 23 games in six rounds, secured a precious hold before Kenin lost her serve for the second time.
Serving for the first set at 5-3, Swiatek dumped a tame backhand into the net on set point and Kenin immediately broke back, ripping a blistering backhand return.
Kenin’s resilience has been a staple of her success but she cracked again to present Swiatek with two more set points at 4-5, promptly dragging a backhand wide to hand the Pole the opening set.
The sixth-ranked Kenin, trying to become the first woman to win two Slams in the same season since Angelique Kerber in 2016, broke to begin the second set.
— Supersport.
Online Reporter