The golden age that men’s tennis has undergone for the past 20 years hasn’t quite finished, apparently. Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer played this year at the French Open, and Djokovic came out victorious with his nineteenth Grand Slam singles title.
Federer withdrew a few rounds into the tournament in order to not overwork himself after coming back from injury, and Nadal, the 13-time champion at Roland-Garros, lost to Djokovic before the final. This set up a final between the 2016 champion and one of the famed ‘next gen’ players, Stefanos Tsitsipas. Known for a powerful serve and a one-handed backhand shot, Tsitsipas had been playing at a very high level on clay prior to his meeting with “the joker.” That helped the Greek phenom tremendously; however, after going up two sets to zero, Djokovic put on one of the greatest comeback performances in a grand slam in the last few years, as he won three straight sets to win his nineteenth championship.
The win doesn’t change too much for Djokovic in terms of perception. He, along with Nadal, Federer, and Serena Williams are still considered the four standout legends of this generation of tennis. However, this puts him one step closer to the current men’s slam record shared between Nadal and Federer (20). Djokovic also completed his second career slam (winning all the slams at least once) and has a legitimate shot at the famed “calendar slam,” which is when a player wins every slam over the course of one year. Neither Nadal nor Federer have done so, and considering that he is the favourite for the remaining two slams (Wimbledon and the U.S. Open), Djokovic may not only tie the slam record, but break it this year. Despite the fact that Federer, the greatest grass court player ever, is returning for Wimbledon, Djokovic defeated the 20-time slam champ in the last Wimbledon event before the pandemic in 2019. He also should cruise through the hard court season, as he himself is considered the greatest hard court player ever.
Despite the projections and speculations, the tennis season is far from over. Having said that, it sure looks like 2021 will be known as a major one for Djokovic, the now 19-time champ.
Image: Carine06 / Wikimedia
