In 2021, Novak Djokovic won the French Open title for the second time in his career by defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas in a gripping final. In this post we look at how Djokovic won the tournament again, against all odds.
How Djokovic Got to the 2021 French Open Final
Djokovic was down two sets to love in his fourth round match of the 2021 French Open against Lorenzo Musetti. He lost just one game post that before Musetti retired from the match, helping Djokovic to march into the next round.
Matteo Berrettini managed to take a set off Djokovic in the quarterfinals, Rafael Nadal looked invincible in his first set victory over the Serb in the semifinal but none of them were able to stop him from making it to his sixth final at Roland-Garros.
He had won this title once before and was gunning to become the first man ever to win a Career Slam twice over.
Having won the Australian Open a whopping nine times till then, and with the Wimbledon and US Open titles pouched on seven and three occasions respectively, Djokovic looked to have it all going for him.
After all, his greatest threat on the hallowed clay courts of Roland-Garros had been Nadal and having tamed the Spaniard in a mere four sets, Djokovic did not look like he could be threatened. A second French Open title loomed after he had won it the first time in 2016.
Tsitsipas had entered this tournament as the fifth seed and a semifinalist from the previous season where he had lost to Djokovic in a five-setter.
In this edition, however, Tsitsipas had lost just one set before the semifinal where he faced Alexander Zverev. He took a two sets to love lead against Zverev, lost the next two before clinching the final set to enter his maiden Grand Slam final.
Also Read:
- The Truth Behind Novak Djokovic Eating the Wimbledon Grass
- What Happened in the First Ever Djokovic v Federer Match?
What Happened in the 2021 French Open Final?
Djokovic was a whopping 2/5 favourite coming into the final. The Serb, however, looked to have met his match.
Having handed Nadal just his third French Open defeat of his career in the semis, Djokovic looked like he had switched off for the best part of the first two sets thinking the title had already been won.
Tsitsipas took advantage of Djokovic’s reverie as he stormed to a two sets to love lead including the first set in a tie-breaker.
The Greek number one won all his six points at the net in the first set and hit 18 winners to eke out the lead. He then extended it to the two-set-to-love scoreline with an early break in the second as Djokovic battled likely complacency and exhaustion.
Just when it looked like Tsitsipas could be on the verge of winning his first major title though, Djokovic stormed to a 4-1 lead with a break of serve in the third set. 11 unforced errors from Tsitsipas helped Djokovic’s cause as did his own serving which saw the Serb win 73% of the points on his second serve.
As the match wore on, Djokovic grew stronger and stronger, and aided by his own serve which saw him drop just three points in the fourth set. He broke Tsitsipas twice to level the proceedings.
In the fifth, Tsitsipas was on the brink of losing his serve yet again in the second game. While he held on this time, Djokovic broke him in the fourth game and served it out to win 6-7 (6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in a match that had lasted four hours and 11 minutes.
Also Read:
What Happened After This?
Djokovic would go on to claim the 2021 Wimbledon title as well to make it three Grand Slam wins in succession. And had it not been for a brilliant showing by Daniil Medvedev in the final of the US Open, Djokovic could have well made it his first calendar Slam.
Tsitsipas struggled with his performances after this with a semifinal appearance at the 2022 Australian Open being the only instance of him getting past the fourth round in the seven majors that followed.
It was only in 2023 that Tsitsipas kicked things off with a 10-match winning streak that included a finals appearance at the Australian Open where he met Djokovic yet again.