It was another spectacular fortnight on the red clay at the French Open, the second and hardest Grand Slam tournament on the tennis calendar. I, like many other bleary-eyed Canadians, was glued to the early morning matches as many times as my body would allow.
Perennial clay court king and defending champion Rafael Nadal looked poised to claim a sixth title in Paris, equalling Björn Borg’s record. But he had run into a brick wall known as Novak Djokovic, No. 2 player in the world, in recent weeks. Djokovic hadn’t lost a match, 37-0, all season and had beaten Nadal in four finals — including two on clay — leading up to Roland Garros.
The tournament progressed as you might expect through the opening week. Most Spanish-born players cruised as clay is usually their native surface; Canadian Milos Raonic lost in round one as the red clay is proving mighty tough for him and all the top favourites progressed.
Frenchman Gael Monfils, a former semifinalist, had another strong showing, dismissing his opponents with ease, until he ground out a five-set, four-hour marathon over World No. 6 David Ferrer. Unfortunately, after his epic match, he ran into 2009 champion Roger Federer, who had not dropped a set all tournament. Federer dismissed him in a pedestrian straight-sets win that saw Monfils hit 11 double faults, 53 unforced errors and finish with a first serve percentage of 62.
Federer quietly slid through to the semifinals where he had the unfortunate luck of running into Djokovic, who, if he won, would become World No. 1.
It was the match of the tournament. Federer took the first two sets, deservedly earned. The two men ran each other ragged, running down crushing forehands and sublime drop shots. But Djokovic took control in set three, catching an early break point and securing the set 6-3 in 37 minutes. But the Swiss would not be denied and he won a tight fourth set tiebreak 7-5, setting a final French Open final showdown with Nadal.
The No. 1 had faced no opposition at Roland Garros after outlasting American John Isner in a five-set opening round matchup. For Federer, he was not expected to win and was a relaxed underdog.
The first set began well for Federer who, shockingly, broke Nadal instantly to take a 2-0 lead. Within 30 minutes, it was 5-2 Federer with the Spaniard serving. After Nadal hit Federer a fairly easy return, the former No. 1 lobbed a cheeky dropshot over the net, landing millimetres wide of the line. It proved to be the dagger. Nadal raced back, winning five straight games and the set, 7-5.
A second set was tight with no man taking chances. With Nadal serving for the set at 5-4, a lurking storm finally broke and rain halted play for 10 minutes. Federer regained some form and saved a set point, setting up a tiebreaker. Nadal raced out to a 4-0 lead, resulting from poor shot making by Federer. The lead proved insurmountable and Nadal won 7-3.
Set three was similar to the second and Federer dropped one early break. However, he earned it back and broke Nadal once more to take the set 7-5.
Ahead of the final, Nadal boasted a 101-0 record when winning the first two sets of a Grand Slam match. The statistic would shortly rise to 102-0. Federer simply lost the will to win, just like in 2008, and Nadal effortlessly broke him two more times. The final shots of the match reflected Federer’s defeat as he attempted to net the ball, but it made it over. Nadal hit it back and Federer made sure he purposely hit the ball long. Nadal collapsed to his knees as he won his 10th Grand Slam title, 7-5, 7-6 (7-3), 5-7, 6-1.
It now begs the question as to where Nadal will land among the game’s biggest stars. Nadal’s 10 Grand Slams are inching ever close to Federer’s all-time record of 16. The Swiss likely won’t win another major while Nadal is 25, in peak condition and has another favourable surface coming up, the grasses of Wimbledon.
Also, big props to Daniel Nestor. The Canadian won his third French Open doubles championship, this time with partner Max Mirnyi. The pair defeated Juan Sebastián Cabal and Eduardo Schwank 7-6 (7-3), 3-6, 6-4. The 38-year-old Toronto native also recently won his 800th doubles match — first all-time.
