He is the tennis version of the Incredible Hulk, and on Sunday Novak Djokovic made his closest rivals turn green with envy as he finally achieved something no man had accomplished for nearly half a century.
Playing what he described as “flawless tennis” over the last three sets of his 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 win over Andy Murray, Djokovic cracked his Roland Garros jinx on the 12th attempt — and fourth final in Paris — to win the French Open.
It allowed the Serbian world No. 1 to hold all four Grand Slam titles at the same time — a milestone that is so difficult to reach that it had not been done by a man since Australia’s Rod Laver won the second of his calendar Grand Slams in 1969.
Photo: AFP PHOTO / FEDERATION FRANCAISE DE TENNIS / NICOLAS GOUHIER
In an era when it is tough to keep track of the countless records achieved by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal — who own 31 majors between them — Djokovic managed to complete a feat that was tantalizingly just out of reach for his rivals-in-chief.
“It’s one of the ultimate challenges that you have as a tennis player. I’m very proud, very thrilled,” he said on becoming the third man after Don Budge and Laver to hold the Wimbledon, US, Australian and French Open titles simultaneously.
Federer had two attempts at completing four in a row — in 2006 and 2007 — but each time he was thwarted in the French Open final by Nadal.
The Spaniard similarly arrived at the 2011 Australian Open as the holder of three Grand Slam titles, but fell in the quarter-finals.
Despite all their success, Federer and Nadal, who are among eight men to have completed a career Grand Slam, never managed to win the Australian-French Opens back-to-back.
With Djokovic having achieved that benchmark, he is well placed to complete something no man has ever achieved — the Golden Slam of four majors and Olympic gold in the same year.
So is that something that can be done?
“I don’t want to sound arrogant, but I really think everything is achievable in life,” said Djokovic, who has now contested six successive Grand Slam finals, winning five.
It certainly is a possibility, because nine-time French Open champion Nadal, having struggled with injuries, is no longer the force he was, while 34-year-old Federer was a no-show at the French Open after failing to recover from a back problem.
That has left world No. 2 Murray as Djokovic’s closest challenger. However, with the Briton having a 2-5 win-loss record against the Serb in major finals, Djokovic knows he has a mental hold over Murray, who is just seven days older than him.
However, the world No. 1 conceded that he would not be the player he is had it not been for his rivals.
“Nadal and Federer were so dominant in the sport when Andy and myself came into the mix. At the beginning I was not glad to be part of their era,” the 29-year-old said.
“Fortunately for me, I realized that I need to get stronger and that I need to accept the fact that I’m competing with these two tremendous champions. Everything was uphill from that moment on,” he added.
Things have certainly been on the up for Djokovic, as he has now contested 20 Grand Slam finals, of which he has won 12.
He also has a better head-to-head against all three of his Big Four rivals. He leads Federer 23-22, Nadal 26-23 and Murray 24-10.
“These two guys, and Andy as well, have helped me to become a better player and helped me achieve all these things,” Djokovic said.
“The rivalries that we have are important for the sport, and in one way or another you try to compare yourself to them and what they have achieved before,” he added.
While Federer (17 majors), Nadal and Pete Sampras (both 14) still top Djokovic in the list of all-time Grand Slam title holders, it is not inconceivable that within a few years, the Serb will have left everyone in his wake.
TIGHT FINISH: Napoli only needed to do the same as or better than Inter, who won their game against Como 2-0 on the same day, leaving Napoli with a one-point lead The two players who Antonio Conte wanted more than any others secured Napoli their second Serie A title in three years on Friday. Scott McTominay scored with an acrobatic bicycle kick before halftime and Romelu Lukaku doubled the lead with a solo goal after the break in the decisive 2-0 home win over Cagliari. Conte became the first coach to win the Italian championship with three different teams. “Everyone contributed to this — but the coach most of all,” Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo said. “Napoli needed him to get back on top. He’s phenomenal.” Comparing it to his three Serie A titles won
The journey of Taiwan’s badminton mixed doubles duo Ye Hong-wei and Nicole Chan at the Malaysia Masters in Kuala Lumpur came to an end in the semi-finals yesterday after they suffered a 2-0 loss to China’s Feng Yanzhe and Huang Dongping. Ye, 25, and Chan, 20, teamed up last year and are currently ranked No. 23 in the world. The Taiwanese shuttlers took on China’s second seeds in the mixed doubles event, but proved no match for Feng and Huang, losing the match 10-21, 7-21. In the first half of the first game, the pairings were neck and neck at 6-7 until Ye
SSC Napoli coach Antonio Conte has dragged the team back from disaster and restored them to the top of Italian Serie A, but his future at the Scudetto winners is in doubt even after a triumphant season. The fiery 55-year-old has exceeded preseason expectations and bolstered his reputation as a serial winner by guiding Napoli to their fourth Scudetto, and second in three seasons. However, he might well be on his way in the summer after just one season at the helm as his charged relationship with Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis has simmered throughout the campaign. Conte has said
Carlos Alcaraz on Monday powered into the French Open second round with a resounding win to start his title defense, while world No. 1 Jannik Sinner and three-time defending women’s champion Iga Swiatek also progressed at Roland Garros. Four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz struck 31 winners in a 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Italian qualifier Giulio Zeppieri and is to face Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan in round two. Alcaraz is now on an eight-match winning streak at the French Open and also took Olympic silver at Roland Garros last year, losing the final to Novak Djokovic. “The first round is never
RSS