A match billed as the real French Open final last night turned into a battle that might define an era, as Novak Djokovic brilliantly deposed the king of Roland Garros. Given how long best-of-five set matches last on clay courts it was a stunningly inept decision of the French Open not to start the opener until 3pm, especially when they knew there is an 11pm go-home deadline. That looked set to haunt him because Nadal suddenly found his length again and broke back. Djokovic, who had not beaten Nadal on clay for five years, had been the better player since the first set and, equally surprisingly, the more serene. My dream was to play here, on the big stage of the French Open one day.

Source: Daily Mail June 11, 2021 21:46 UTC