At Roland Garros,
The very talented Stefanos Tsitsipas, 22, is likely to win a Grand Slam tournament one day, but his time has not yet come. After having achieved the feat of dethroning the king of Roland-Garros Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals, Novak Djokovic did not miss the opportunity to mark the history of tennis even more. With now 19 Grand Slam titles on the clock, it is only one unit from the duo Federer-Nadal. The record hunter becomes the first in the Open era to win every major tournament twice. With this coronation, he can also dream of the calendar Grand Slam (in 2016, he had succeeded in winning consecutively the four major tournaments on horseback over two years). The last to have achieved this feat: is the Australian Rod Laver in… 1969. This Sunday,he trembled (a little), however, before taking the measure of a very good Tsitsipas.
Serene about his service - he started his final with three shutouts - he put pressure on his young opponent from the start by offering himself two break points. Opportunities erased by a superb long backhand, then by an ace from the Greek. Jostled, Tsitsipas, quickly freed himself, setting the pace in the exchanges and holding the shock on his commitments during a very tight first round. The world number one, for his part, was a little frightened by falling to the seventh after a failed attempt at counter-damping ... And in the ninth game, the world 5th offered himself on his first break point, a… set point, saved with authority by the Serbian after a long exchange where his short crossed backhand pushed Tsitsipas to the fault. The world number one raised his fist. And this is theoutsider who let go first, cracking on very long exchanges. The Serbian snatching the opposing service on his third opportunity. But at the time of concluding the Djoko machine jammed. Impeccable so far on his commitments, the winner of Roland-Garros 2016 has accumulated unforced errors. Conqueror, Tsitsipas caused the tie-break. The arm wrestling reaching new heights. Led 4-0, the Djoker regained control with panache even obtaining a set point, superbly saved by Tsitsipas with an unstoppable forehand. The protégé of Patrick Mouratoglou, he was able to convert his first opportunity. The Serbian cracking forehand after another exchange of great intensity. Tsitsipas snatching the 8-6 tie-break and the first act after 1:08 of a hell of a fight.cracking on very long exchanges. The Serbian snatching the opposing service on his third opportunity. But at the time of concluding the Djoko machine jammed. Impeccable so far on his commitments, the winner of Roland-Garros 2016 has accumulated unforced errors. Conqueror, Tsitsipas caused the tie-break. The arm wrestling reaching new heights. Led 4-0, the Djoker regained control with panache even obtaining a set point, superbly saved by Tsitsipas with an unstoppable forehand. The protégé of Patrick Mouratoglou, he was able to convert his first opportunity. The Serbian cracking forehand after another exchange of great intensity. Tsitsipas snatching the 8-6 tie-break and the first act after 1:08 of a hell of a fight.cracking on very long exchanges. The Serbian snatching the opposing service on his third opportunity. But at the time of concluding the Djoko machine jammed. Impeccable so far on his commitments, the winner of Roland-Garros 2016 has accumulated unforced errors. Conqueror, Tsitsipas caused the tie-break. The arm wrestling reaching new heights. Led 4-0, the Djoker regained control with panache even obtaining a set point, superbly saved by Tsitsipas with an unstoppable forehand. The protégé of Patrick Mouratoglou, he was able to convert his first opportunity. The Serbian cracking forehand after another exchange of great intensity. Tsitsipas snatching the 8-6 tie-break and the first act after 1:08 of a hell of a fight.The Serbian snatching the opposing service on his third opportunity. But at the time of concluding the Djoko machine jammed. Impeccable so far on his commitments, the winner of Roland-Garros 2016 has accumulated unforced errors. Conqueror, Tsitsipas caused the tie-break. The arm wrestling reaching new heights. Led 4-0, the Djoker regained control with panache even obtaining a set point, superbly saved by Tsitsipas with an unstoppable forehand. The protégé of Patrick Mouratoglou, he was able to convert his first opportunity. The Serbian cracking forehand after another exchange of great intensity. Tsitsipas snatching the 8-6 tie-break and the first act after 1:08 of a hell of a fight.The Serbian snatching the opposing service on his third opportunity. But at the time of concluding the Djoko machine jammed. Impeccable so far on his commitments, the winner of Roland-Garros 2016 has accumulated unforced errors. Conqueror, Tsitsipas caused the tie-break. The arm wrestling reaching new heights. Led 4-0, the Djoker regained control with panache even obtaining a set point, superbly saved by Tsitsipas with an unstoppable forehand. The protégé of Patrick Mouratoglou, he was able to convert his first opportunity. The Serbian cracking forehand after another exchange of great intensity. Tsitsipas snatching the 8-6 tie-break and the first act after 1:08 of a hell of a fight.the winner of Roland-Garros 2016 has accumulated unforced errors. Conqueror, Tsitsipas caused the tie-break. The arm wrestling reaching new heights. Led 4-0, the Djoker regained control with panache even obtaining a set point, superbly saved by Tsitsipas with an unstoppable forehand. The protégé of Patrick Mouratoglou, he was able to convert his first opportunity. The Serbian cracking forehand after another exchange of great intensity. Tsitsipas snatching the 8-6 tie-break and the first act after 1:08 of a hell of a fight.the winner of Roland-Garros 2016 has accumulated unforced errors. Conqueror, Tsitsipas caused the tie-break. The arm wrestling reaching new heights. Led 4-0, the Djoker regained control with panache even obtaining a set point, superbly saved by Tsitsipas with an unstoppable forehand. The protégé of Patrick Mouratoglou, he was able to convert his first opportunity. The Serbian cracking forehand after another exchange of great intensity. Tsitsipas snatching the 8-6 tie-break and the first act after 1:08 of a hell of a fight.an unstoppable forehand. The protégé of Patrick Mouratoglou, he was able to convert his first opportunity. The Serbian cracking forehand after another exchange of great intensity. Tsitsipas snatching the 8-6 tie-break and the first act after 1:08 of a hell of a fight.an unstoppable forehand. The protégé of Patrick Mouratoglou, he was able to convert his first opportunity. The Serbian cracking forehand after another exchange of great intensity. Tsitsipas snatching the 8-6 tie-break and the first act after 1:08 of a hell of a fight.
On his momentum, the still impressive 22-year-old grabbed the opposing service and led 4-2, then drove home the point with a double break. Djokovic is clearly no longer there. Tsitsipas concluding the second act very quickly in 31 minutes (6-2). As during his recovery against Lorenzo Musetti in the 8th, the locker room break of the circuit boss was saving. The Serbian regaining, as if by magic, at the start of the third set, intensity in his strikes, precision in his returns and solidity in the service. Resilient, he went for the break on his fifth opportunity in the fourth game of the third set. Before flying to complete round 6-3. Visibly injured in the back, Tsitsipas was examined by a trainer at the edge of the court.
The tide had turned. More and more sure of his strengths, the world number one nabbed the opposing service from the start of the fourth act, before driving the point home. Thanks to a superb cushioned backhand, the Serbian chained another break to lead 4-0. The big arm wrestling of the first set turning into the Djoker alone again very quiet on his faceoffs to conclude the fourth act 6-2. Tsitsipas had lost the flame. He had the merit of trying to find her in the last act. But the Serbian, now an insurmountable wall, made his young opponent crack first in the final act, seizing his service from the third game. Despite a public won to his cause, Hellene gradually lost track of himself. he had the merit of hanging on (a match point saved with panache),before surrendering under the blows of Djokovic, fresh as a roach after more than four hours of play and despite his historic fight against Nadal, 48 hours earlier.
