The Serbian comes back from the gap of two sets and triumphs in the fifth: second victory on French clay and 19th Grand Slam for the number one in the world
Novak Djokovic wins the 2021 edition of Roland Garros. In Paris, the Serbian beats Stefanos Tsitsipas in five sets: after the double advantage in favor of the Greek, the world number one comes back and wins his 19th career Slam with a score of 6-7, 2-6, 6- 3, 6-2, 6-4 in 4 hours and 11 minutes of play, triumphing for the second time on French clay after winning against Murray in 2016.
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Novak Djokovic writes another incredible page in his career and in the history of tennis: after a marathon of 4 hours and 11 minutes of play, the Serbian beats a fierce Stefanos Tsitsipas and wins Roland Garros for the second time. In the final in Paris, Nole immediately had the opportunity to stretch, but the Greek, in his first final in a Grand Slam, canceled two break points in the first game and keeps his serve. In addition, a set point, but the 22-year-old resists and extends the partial. In the eleventh game, Djokovic wins the round by batting and moves to 6-5, but at the moment of serving for the set the number one in the world collects the counterbreak of Tsitsipas, which thus guarantees the tie-break. After the initial disadvantage (2-5), Djokovic goes back up to 6-5, obtaining the second set point, but the Hellenic cancels it and, with three points in a row, closes at 8-6, winning the first set. The disadvantage and the accumulated fatigue after the intense marathon in the semifinal with Nadal seem to take away the energy of the Serbian, who feels the blow and, at the beginning of the second set, immediately collects the break (0-2). Tsitsipas, on the contrary, is concentrated and lethal, and again snatches the serve, closing at 6-2 and securing the 2-0 in the set count.
As with Musetti, however, Djokovic reacts, finds his best shots and, after a very long fourth game, takes advantage of the fifth break point to reach 5-2. The Greek goes back from 0-30 and avoids losing the bat for the second time, but at the moment of serving for the set Nole closes at 6-3, winning his first partial and shortening the distance from Tsitsipas. The fourth set is dominated by the Serbian, who immediately goes up to 4-0 and keeps the next two rounds at bat, closing at 6-2 in just 36 minutes and definitively nullifying the Hellenic’s advantage: for the first time since 2004, the final of Roland Garros is decided in the fifth set. In the decisive part, Tsitsipas must immediately cancel a break point in his first round at bat, but in the second Djokovic finds the break. The number one in the world is perfect with the first serve and sensational in responding to the serve of the Greek, who manages to cancel two break points to avoid the 2-5. The initial 3-1, however, turns out to be the decisive advantage: at the second match point, Djokovic closes the contest and wins (6) 6-7, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.
For Nole it is the second success at Roland Garros after the one in 2016 against Murray and the nineteenth career Grand Slam (and the second of the calendar year after the triumph at the Australian Open): now he is -1 from Federer and Nadal. The number one in the world, moreover, is the first tennis player in the Open Era to have won all four Grand Slams at least twice: incredible statistics for the Serbian, increasingly in the Olympus of this sport. He gives up despite a great first part of the match, however, Stefanos Tsitsipas, who can however console himself with the satisfaction of having reached his first final in a Grand Slam and with his best ranking: he will be number 4 in the ATP ranking.
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