And so the French Open is over for another year. Serena Williams is the women’s singles champion again, Stan Wawrinka is the men’s champion for the first time. Now it’s time for the grass. Off we go to Wimbledon! Thanks for reading and emailing over the past fortnight. Bye!
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Magnus Norman is happy.
Better picture then this i will not be able to take guys. Thank you @stanwawrinka. You are a champion in many ways! pic.twitter.com/9NwWqPtSwS
— Magnus Norman (@normansweden) June 7, 2015
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This quote from Djokovic stands out. “In life some things are more important than victories: character and respect. I have a great respect for you Stan”
Wawrinka dedicates his victory to his coach, Magnus Norman, who was a beaten French Open finalist in 2000. He’s thanking a lot of people.
Roger Federer was watching.
CHAMP @stanwawrinka 🎉❤️🇨🇭 pic.twitter.com/UXeplV2juw
— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) June 7, 2015
“It’s not easy for me to talk right now,” Djokovic says. “But I have utmost respect for a great champion.”
It’s time for the Swiss national anthem. His second title means he’s drawn level with the likes of Ilie Nastase, Pat Rafter, Marat Safin, Lleyton Hewitt and, of course, Andy Murray. He could add a few more, you know.
And now it’s Stan Wawrinka’s turn to walk up to collect his trophy. Gustavo Kuerten, the three-time Brazilian champion here, hands it to him. Here, ladies and gentlemen, is your new French Open champion! Roger Federer must be proud.
The applause for Djokovic continues. This is pretty heartwarming. Djokovic is struggling to deal with it now. The eyes are looking a little red now.
Novak Djokovic walks up to the stage to collect his runner’s up trophy. He’s smiling. I’m not sure how he’s smiling. I wouldn’t be smiling, not after my third defeat in a French Open final. The crowd applauds and he gives them the thumbs and laughs when he hears them chanting his name. I suppose he’s still got a lot to be happy about. Although by the end of the ovation, he’s struggling to keep the tears at bay.
Novak Djokovic has a thousand yard stare on. There goes that career slam, at least for another year! There goes that calendar slam! Who knows how this defeat will affect him? Without wishing to delve into hyperbole, it’s the kind of setback that has the potential to shatter his confidence. Suddenly he doesn’t look quite as invincible and not completing the career slam today, not winning the one title that has eluded him, will hurt badly. To beat Rafael Nadal and then lose like this? Ouch. He’s still pretty invincible, of course, but Wawrinka’s power and class was too much for him today. Maybe that extra day’s rest helped?
I need to get a pair of those Wawrinka shorts. They’ll look great on the bench this summer. “I had wanted to write “there are many reasons why a calendar grand slam is so difficult. One of them is Andy Murray.”,” says David Hindle. “Okay. Scratch that. But he softened him up nicely for Stan, didn’t he?”
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Stan Wawrinka has a 100 percent record in grand slam finals. Admittedly that was only his second final, but still. It’s even more impressive when you consider that he had to beat Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal when he won in Australia last year and he’s beaten Roger Federer and Djokovic on his way to winning his first French Open title at the age of 30.
That was a final that will live long in the memory. What a performance from Stan Wawrinka. What a fightback from a set down. How are the hairs on the back of your neck doing? Yeah, mine too. They’ll probably be like that for the next week. The pair embrace at the net. Djokovic takes it well, despite his heartbreak. Wawrinka, nice guy that he is, offers him a few words of consolation. Djokovic accepts them with good grace. The right man won. Wawrinka was brilliant. Wawrinka is brilliant.
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Stan Wawrinka beats 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 to win the French Open!
A penny for Wawrinka’s thoughts right now. Though I doubt you’d be able to make much sense of them. Djokovic begins this game with a duff forehand. But Wawrinka is tight. Two errors, a wide backhand and a forehand into the net, leave him in a pickle at 15-30. What has he got up his sleeve here? Only a backhand winner down the line! He’s two points from victory. Make that one point. Djokovic pulls a backhand wide and it’s championship point! Wawrinka blasts a serve down the middle. It’s called out but for a moment the crowd thinks it’s in. The umpire comes down and points to a mark beyond the line. Second serve. Djokovic is brave. He charges to the net and forces a scampering Wawrinka to hook long! a forehand from Djokovic then clips the top of the net and lands in. Wawrinka runs into a forehand but smashes it straight at Djokovic, who just blocks a backhand back into the open court. Break point. Oh no. But Djokovic misfires with a forehand! Oh my word. Wawrinka is spared and he grabs another championship point by overwhelming Djokovic with a serve. It’s his second chance. Can he take it? He can! Djokovic’s backhand return is weak and, fittingly, Wawrinka finishes it off by zooming a one-handed backhand down the line, the ball landing inside the baseline by a couple of yards! That’s it! Stan Wawrinka has won the French Open!
Fourth set: Djokovic* 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 4-5 Wawrinka (*denotes server): There are gasps and screams in the crowd at 15-0, the pair trading delicate little dinks at the net. Djokovic dabs a cross-court effort wide. It’s 15-all. Djokovic needs his serve to fire here. It doesn’t. Wawrinka gets a look at a second serve and monsters a beautiful backhand down the line for a 15-30 lead. Djokovic misses another first serve. Wawrinka runs around a forehand return - but it whooshes long! 30-all. Not to worry, though. Wawrinka is forced wide, but this cross-court backhand pass is a thing of beauty, Djokovic given no chance at the net. Wawrinka has a break point! But this is clutch from Djokovic, who serve and volleys astoundingly well to drag the game kicking and screaming to deuce. He tries it again, though, and this time Wawrinka punishes him with a backhand pass. He has another break point! Djokovic misses a first serve. And this is special. Wawrinka mishits a forehand. It just hangs in the air long enough to drop over the net. Djokovic has to come forward. He rips a backhand into the corner. But it’s on Wawrinka’s lethal backhand. He obliterates the ball down the line, Djokovic stranded, and, get this, right, get this, I’m not making this up, I’m really not, Stan Wawrinka is going to serve for the French Open title.
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Fourth set: Djokovic 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 4-4 Wawrinka* (*denotes server): How will losing that game affect Wawrinka? Not well! He’s gripped by anxiety. Three unforced errors give Djokovic three break points. The first is saved with punchy tennis, the second when he cuffs a brusque backhand down the line. The third? He blasts an ace down the middle and Djokovic sends the ball into the crowd. The serve is called out, but the umpire has a look and the point goes to Wawrinka. I doff my imaginary hat to him. He holds. Incredible. Five straight points. A hold from 0-40. That’s how to deal with adversity.
Fourth set: Djokovic* 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 4-3 Wawrinka (*denotes server): Stan is The Man. Sirens are blaring in Djokovic’s head when Wawrinka whips a splendid, spinning forehand out of reach for a 15-30 lead. Wawrinka then pummels a gigantic forehand down the line. Djokovic somehow manages to get it back but Wawrinka pounds an inside-forehand away to grab two break points. Djokovic saves the first with some net-based shenanigans. Then he comes to the net, a dangerous tactic when the ball is on Wawrinka’s backhand. Wawrinka goes for it, but Djokovic stretches every sinew in his body and produces a special volley. What a player! Everything was on the line there. Djokovic celebrates like he’s just won the final. He holds by pumping a backhand down the line. More celebrations. This is now Officially Emotional.
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Fourth set: Djokovic 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 3-3 Wawrinka* (*denotes server): Wawrinka pulls the drop shot out of the back pocket of those ridiculous shorts. Djokovic Lendls him, but Wawrinka reacts smartly and puts a volley back into the open court for a 15-0 lead. Soon it’s 40-0 and Wawrinka holds to love when Djokovic nets a forehand. Wawrinka has won three straight games. What a response!
Fourth set: Djokovic 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 3-2 Wawrinka* (*denotes server): Given that Djokovic won the fifth set 6-0 when these two met in Melbourne in January, I suspect that Wawrinka might need to break back and win this set to stand any chance. Djokovic has done the same to Andy Murray in their recent matches. I guess Wawrinka agrees. A blistering backhand gives him a 15-30 lead, before Djokovic loops a forehand wide to give Wawrinka two break points. A 500-page novel of a point ensues. Djokovic almost loops a forehand wide. It lands in. Wawrinka almost sees a backhand stopped by the net. They slice. They slice low, they slice hard. Djokovic rasps backhands left and right, then pulls the trigger with a forehand, but Wawrinka dodges the bullet. His defence is outstanding. He’s out-Djokovicing Djokovic! The world No1 is driven to distraction and he blasts a forehand into the net! Wawrinka breaks back! Another twist.
Fourth set: Djokovic 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 3-1 Wawrinka* (*denotes server): Wawrinka hoists himself on to the board, holding to 15, Djokovic dumping a volley into the net on the final point.
Fourth set: Djokovic* 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 3-0 Wawrinka (*denotes server): At 30-all, Djokovic completely mishits a forehand. I think he framed it. Somehow it squirms over the net. The rally continues. It ends with the relentless Djokovic drilling a forehand winner down the line. He holds. This guy never runs away from a fight.
Fourth set: Djokovic 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 2-0 Wawrinka* (*denotes server): This is faintly predictable. At 30-all, Wawrinka sticks a volley into the net and Djokovic has a break point. Wawrinka flails a backhand into the net and Djokovic wrestles control of the fourth set. There’s a reason he’s a champion.
Here’s that incredible Wawrinka around-the-net to watch for infinity RT @philousports: le revers qui envoie des loves pic.twitter.com/oTPx8lG0Kz
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) June 7, 2015
Fourth set: Djokovic* 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 1-0 Wawrinka (*denotes server): So here’s the situation: Stan Wawrinka is a set away from beating Novak Djokovic and winning the French Open. Don’t adjust your screen. He’s playing like the world No1 against the world No1. Djokovic is going to need to draw on all his superhuman qualities to come back from this, because Wawrinka is currently a blur of inspiration. Does anyone know where I can buy his shorts? Maybe they’re his secret weapon. “Given how much he has worked to get to this point and not see a certain Spaniard wrest the trophy away by an inch, I reckon Djokovic will find the inner gear,” says Krishnan Patel. “If Djokovic pulls off a win today, after AO 2012, this will be his finest win.” And there’s the rub. As well as Wawrinka’s playing, there’s an argument that Djokovic is still the favourite. Djokovic starts the fourth set with a confident hold.
Stan Wawrinka wins the third set 6-3! He leads 4-6, 6-4, 6-3!
Wawrinka makes the perfect start, banging an ace out wide for a 15-0 lead. Djokovic doesn’t move. He lets it fly by and then walks across the baseline, ready for whatever’s about to whizz at him next. Djokovic then nets a backhand to make it 30-0 and Wawrinka earns three set points by angling a backhand into the corner and running to the net to put an overhead away. This is so cool. Nerveless. Wawrinka crunches a serve to Djokovic’s backhand and the world No1’s tamed return goes long. What on earth is happening? Pinch me.
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Third set: Djokovic* 6-4, 4-6, 3-5 Wawrinka (*denotes server): Djokovic tries to serve and volley off a second serve. Bad move. Wawrinka sees him coming and his backhand is too good. He follows that up with some absurdity. Djokovic pushes him into a corner. Wawrinka stoops down low and goes around the net with a preposterous backhand winner for a 0-30 lead! That was special. The shot of the tournament? It’s up there. And now he’s two points away from the set. Djokovic, though, will not lie down and races away with the next three points for a 40-30 lead. Wawrinka then squirts a backhand wide. Djokovic clings on. The third set is still alive. But now Wawrinka will serve for it. “Looks like Stan is brutalizing Novak atm,” says Thomas Whitely. “What power!!!”
Third set: Djokovic 6-4, 4-6, 2-5 Wawrinka* (*denotes server): Wawrinka storms into a 30-0 lead, before Djokovic reminds him who he’s up against with a cracking a backhand winner when Wawrinka chooses to serve and volley. 30-0 becomes 30-all. Djokovic might just be waking up. Wawrinka wants to ease him back to sleep. Better not use Butterfield’s sleep therapy. Wawrinka has a game point, but a double-fault makes it deuce. Are doubts penetrating his mind? This is the first time he’s been ahead. Now he has something to lose and Djokovic is ready to take advantage. Wawrinka then spanks a forehand long to give Djokovic a break point. But he won’t let go. Not yet. A huge serve sets him up for a forehand winner and he doesn’t miss. That’s his 40th winner. Another big serve gives Wawrinka the advantage and he holds when Djokovic lobs long. Wawrinka is a game away from winning the third set!
Third set: Djokovic* 6-4, 4-6, 2-4 Wawrinka (*denotes server): The heftiness and length of Wawrinka’s shots is disrupting Djokovic. He’s forced to stab a forehand wide for 0-15 and Wawrinka then crunches a spectacular forehand down the line for a 0-30 lead. Wawrinka is in the zone now. He lobs a backline boulder down the line for three break points. Djokovic doesn’t know what’s him. He plays an abysmal drop shot and Wawrinka charges forward and barrels a forehand away to seize control of the third set! Wawrinka has stumbled upon an astonishing level of tennis. He’s been incredible for an hour. The question is whether he can sustain it.
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Third set: Djokovic 6-4, 4-6, 2-3 Wawrinka* (*denotes server): Wawrinka holds to love. All is not well with Djokovic. Some pure filth is flying off his racquet.
Third set: Djokovic* 6-4, 4-6, 2-2 Wawrinka (*denotes server): Ra-uhhh! Ra-uhhh! Ra-uhhh! Djokovic is turning up the volume on the gruntometer. Wawrinka is making him work. The game is finely poised at 30-all, Djokovic under pressure again. He’s hanging on. But he hangs on. But Wawrinka is the one who’s playing with greater freedom at the moment. It’s as if the enormity of the prize is affecting his tennis.
Third set: Djokovic 6-4, 4-6, 1-2 Wawrinka* (*denotes server): Djokovic can’t capitalise on that clutch hold. More dusty errors allow Wawrinka to hold comfortable. This final is up for grabs!
Third set: Djokovic* 6-4, 4-6, 1-1 Wawrinka (*denotes server): Is Djokovic thinking clearly? A heavy drop shot invites Wawrinka to the net and he’s merciless with a sweeping forehand. At 15-all, Djokovic nets a forehand, before spluttering a sloppy backhand long to give Wawrinka two break points. Djokovic is rattled. He’s insipid at the moment, but he saves the first break point with a beautifully judged backhand volley. That rouses him. A stunning forehand down the line creates an opening for him to rush the net and another canny volley extracts Djokovic from a sticky situation. That was unbelievably good. It’s only deuce, though, and Wawrinka earns another break point when Djokovic nets a forehand. Yet Djokovic escapes again, whipping a forehand away. He’s below his best but he is stubbornness personified. He holds.
Third set: Djokovic 6-4, 4-6, 0-1 Wawrinka* (*denotes server): Djokovic smashed his racquet into a thousand tiny little pieces after losing the second set. He was feeling the heat. Belief must be flowing through Wawrinka’s veins now. He’s 15-30 down in this game but he doesn’t falter, winning the next three points to hold. Djokovic looks slightly flat, although you never know how long that’s going to last.
Stan Wawrinka wins the second set 6-4 to make it 1-1 in sets!
Djokovic authorities himself into a 30-0 lead, before the Wawrinka backhand sparkles for the first time in a while. A thunderbolt down the line makes it 30-15, before he burns the fuzz off the ball with a scorching forehand to make it 30-all. Hello! Djokovic then prangs a backhand wide and Wawrinka has an improbable set point. You can’t take your eyes off this rally. It’s brilliant. Wawrinka is chipping away at Djokovic’s defences. He unloads with a couple of backhands. The forehand causes damage too. Djokovic is straining. He’s wobbling. He splutters a backhand long. And the match is level! We have a proper match on our hands now!
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Second set: Djokovic 6-4, 4-5 Wawrinka* (*denotes server): Wawrinka could have been serving for the set. He’s not and now he’s tense. Anxious. You fear for him when he rushes a backhand into the net on the first point. But we shouldn’t worry. He keeps his cool and wins the next three points. That’s mature play. He holds thanks to a thunderous forehand winner. Djokovic has to hold now. Wawrinka is giving it everything.
Second set: Djokovic* 6-4, 4-4 Wawrinka (*denotes server): The first two points are shared, before Djokovic drags a forehand wide. Has his level dipped a little? Here’s another glimmer of hope for Wawrinka. He gifts Djokovic the next point with a wayward forehand, but Djokovic then pings a forehand wide to make it deuce, before netting a backhand to give Wawrinka another break point. The Djokovic serve has been under pressure in this set. It’s the third game in which Wawrinka has had break points. He’s yet to convert any of them. And again Wawrinka yawns a backhand long, his best shot letting him down at crucial moments. It was a weird exchange, mind you. Djokovic left the ball on the assumption it was out. There was no call and it could have been a big mistake. However the umpire runs down and confirms that it was out. Wawrinka is going to regret these misses. He thrashes the net with his racquet when he loses the game.
Second set: Djokovic 6-4, 3-4 Wawrinka* (*denotes server): It’s very tight at the moment. There’s little to choose between them. Wawrinka has had his chances, but he hasn’t been able to take them. Djokovic has played the big moments better. Wawrinka is up 40-0 here but Djokovic hauls himself back into the game with a stunning backhand down the line. 40-0 becomes deuce. Djokovic is pushing. Wawrinka pushes back with force. He holds. “Allez!” he cries. That’s Swiss for “Allez!”. Are we heading for a tie-break?
Second set: Djokovic* 6-4, 3-3 Wawrinka (*denotes server): A bullet down the line from Wawrinka makes it 0-15, but he can’t eradicate the unforced errors from his game yet. He’s playing well but inconsistently. Yet two poor shots from Djokovic hands Wawrinka another break point. Can Djokovic fend him off again? Yep. A stinging diagonal backhand forces Wawrinka back and Djokovic pulls a forehand into the opposite corner for deuce. Djokovic holds when Wawrinka clanks a Murray-esque smash wide.
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Second set: Djokovic 6-4, 2-3 Wawrinka* (*denotes server): Wawrinka needs to shake off the disappointment of the previous game here. He takes a step in the right direction in that regard with a classy volley at the net for 15-0. He holds to 15.
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Second set: Djokovic* 6-4, 2-2 Wawrinka (*denotes server): Djokovic helps himself to some fruit during the changeover. I assume it was gluten-free. Unless! At 30-all, Djokovic clips the top of the net with a forehand and the ball drops wide. Here’s a break point for Wawrinka. Can he take it? No. He puts too much weight behind a backhand and the ball flies long. Wawrinka earns another chance, though. Djokovic tries to lob him and Wawrinka responds with a splendid smash; that’s how you do it, Mr Murray. Yet Wawrinka flashes another desperate backhand long. The break point comes, the break point goes, Djokovic holds.
Second set: Djokovic 6-4, 1-2 Wawrinka* (*denotes server): Wawrinka needs a comfortable service game. He gets a comfortable service game.
Second set: Djokovic* 6-4, 1-1 Wawrinka (*denotes server): Djokovic’s first-serve percentage stands at a mighty 78%. Wawrinka is at 61%. Make of that what you will. Djokovic strolls into a 30-0 lead and then torments Wawrinka with some dropshottery. He holds to love when Wawrinka balloons a forehand.
Second set: Djokovic 6-4, 0-1 Wawrinka* (*denotes server): Wawrinka is trying to hit Djokovic off the court, but to no avail. A limp forehand into the net gives Djokovic a break point. In the background, you can hear the Jaws theme tune. A break here would be a disaster for Wawrinka. Luckily he averts it with an ace and then chucks a couple of bombs over the net to hold.
Novak Djokovic wins the first set 6-4!
Wawrinka hangs his head dolefully after Djokovic bosses him around the baseline with some rasping forehands to make it 15-0. At 30-15, he thinks he’s won the point when he screams a forehand down the line. The umpire comes down to check and awards the point to Djokovic, ruling that it was out. Wawrinka smiles but he isn’t happy. They don’t have Hawkeye on these courts. Hawkeye shows that the ball was in by this much. Djokovic has a couple of set points. But Wawrinka isn’t going away! He saves the first with a spectacular forehand. The second is a minor classic. Djokovic drop shots. Wawrinka goes cross-court with a forehand. Djokovic knocks a forehand into the open court and down the line, but Wawrinka scampers back and catches Djokovic by surprise with a spinning backhand. Djokovic can’t adjust in time at the net and it’s deuce, two set points disappearing just like that! This is some fightback from Wawrinka, who has a break point when Djokovic nets a backhand. But Djokovic - relentless, unfazed, strong-willed - repels Wawrinka and saves it with a huge serve, before earning another set point. Wawrinka tests him. He probes with a couple of backhands. But there’s a forcefield around the Djokovician castle. He hurls a diagonal forehand into the corner and Wawrinka, all out of puff, batters a forehand wide and long. Djokovic roars. The first set is his. He’s two sets away from winning his first French Open.
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First set: Djokovic 5-4 Wawrinka* (*denotes server): Which he does, sealing the game with a monstrous cross-court forehand. Wawrinka is still in this. But Djokovic will serve for the first set.
First set: Djokovic* 5-3 Wawrinka (*denotes server): Wawrinka bellows at himself in frustration after netting another backhand. Trying to keep up with Djokovic is taking its toll. Winning a point against him is a battle. All that toil for minimal. He gives so little away and that nags away at his opponent’s confidence and focus. He holds easily and consolidates the break. Wawrinka will serve to stay in the first set.
First set: Djokovic 4-3 Wawrinka* (*denotes server): Wawrinka is down 0-30 again on his serve, his trusty backhand letting him down, a couple of weak shots giving Djokovic all the encouragement he needs. Wawrinka is starting to feel the strain. Another errant backhand gives Djokovic three break points, his first of the match. Oh dear. This happened to Murray at the same juncture of the first set on Friday. Wawrinka double-faults and without having to do anything at all beyond getting the ball back into play, Djokovic breaks. That was an awful game from Wawrinka. Four errors, one break.
First set: Djokovic* 3-3 Wawrinka (*denotes server): Djokovic holds to 15. Wawrinka is struggling to get his racquet to serves. “On a sartorial note, what on earth inspired Stan to wear that awful outfit?” says Michael Cosgrove. “If you put a knotted hanky on top of his bonce he’d look more at home on the beach at Skeggy if you ask me.”
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First set: Djokovic 2-3 Wawrinka* (*denotes server): This is classic Djokovic. He was 0-30 down in the previous game but six points later, he has a 0-30 lead on Wawrinka’s serve. Wawrinka is in choppy waters. A shark by the name of Novak Djokovic is circling him. He briefly scrambles clear, but Djokovic pulls him back in, Wawrinka giving up a break point when he slices into the net. Yet Wawrinka resists. The quality of his hitting forces Djokovic to loop a forehand wide. It’s deuce. Wawrinka is aggressive and his positivity is rewarded with another hold. That was a bit close for comfort, though.
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First set: Djokovic* 2-2 Wawrinka (*denotes server): Djokovic glares at the baseline after netting a forehand, wondering if a Wawrinka forehand should have been called out. The line judges stay schtum and it’s 0-15. Soon it’s 0-30, Djokovic sending a backhand long. He’s not really got going yet. It’s Wawrinka who’s dictating a lot of the early rallies. But Djokovic wins the next three points, making it 40-30 with an accurate ace down the middle. Djokovic holds.
First set: Djokovic 1-2 Wawrinka* (*denotes server): These two aren’t afraid to trade backhands. They’re both such effective weapons. Wawrinka can fizz it venomously cross-court, while Djokovic can blooter it down the line. He tries it here, but his radar is off. An ace from Wawrinka makes it 40-0; another allows him to hold to love. This has been an impressive start from Wawrinka, more assured than Andy Murray’s on Friday.
First set: Djokovic* 1-1 Wawrinka (*denotes server): A couple of rusty errors on the forehand side from Djokovic in this game takes it to 40-30. But he holds thanks to some resolute serving. A fuss-free game.
First set: Djokovic 0-1 Wawrinka* (*denotes server): And so it begins. Stan Wawrinka gets the French Open final underway and he looks confident, winning the first two points with a snappy volley and a booming forehand winner for a 30-0 lead. Djokovic isn’t flustered. He wins the next point with a swerving backhand and then the next when Wawrinka hits wide to make it 30-all. An ace from Wawrinka makes it 40-30, but the game goes to deuce and Djokovic earns a break point when Wawrinka shanks a backhand wide. Wawrinka serves big to bring it back to deuce. The two then trade backhands for a while. It’s a wonderful rally. On the 39th shot, Djokovic eventually cracks a backhand long. Oof! That was exhausting. But Wawrinka isn’t weary. He blasts a storming forehand down the line and holds. What a fine opening game that was. Let’s hope it’s a sign of things to come.
Tok! Tok! Tok! It’s time for them to knock up.
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Stan Wawrinka wins the toss and chooses to serve.
Stan Wawrinka strides out to a warm reception. Novak Djokovic is hot on his heels. There are cheers. There are plenty of Serbian flags in the crowd. It’s a bright and sunny day in Paris. The sky is clear. There are chants for Djokovic. He’s got support today.
Novak Djokovic is after his ninth grand slam today. He’s closing in on Rafael Nadal’s tally of 14. Is it unthinkable that he could overhaul Roger Federer’s 17?
Preamble
So here’s a stat for you. The last time the French Open final was held on 7 June, Roger Federer beat Robin Soderling in to complete a clean sweep of majors. By that measure alone, it’s looking good for Novak Djokovic to follow in Federer’s Parisian footsteps this afternoon.
That was also the last time Rafael Nadal wasn’t in the final. Soderling beat him then and the king of clay is nowhere to be seen today. Djokovic sent the nine-time champion on his way on Wednesday, finally beating Nadal at the seventh attempt on the Roland Garros dirt thanks to a display that was brilliantly brutal and brutally brilliant, and you’ll have a hard time finding someone willing to bet against him finishing the job off today. Although given that Soderling went on to lose in the final and hasn’t competed since 2011 because of injuries and illness, maybe it was a bad move on Djokovic’s part to beat Nadal. Or maybe we shouldn’t rely on historical pointers too much. They only tell you so much.
Simply put, it would take a performance of phenomenal perfection from Stan Wawrinka to deny Djokovic. The world No1 is in frightening form. He has won 28 successive matches. He can frustrate his opponents with the elasticity of his movement when he is defending – if Djokovic was in a circus, they’d market him as The Amazing Bendy Man. He must be great at limbo – and he can shift the momentum of a rally in his favour in the blink of an eye. The forehand down the line is a piercing weapon. The cross-court forehand isn’t bad either. His two-handed backhand could cut through armour. His slice is flat and awkward. His first serve has improved so much in the past couple of years. His second serve is difficult to attack. He is a relentless competitor. His will is unshakeable. Only Ivo Karlovic and Federer have beaten him this year - Karlovic with his rhythm-disrupting serve, Federer on a fast cout in Dubai. Those defeats are not especially relevant in a discussion about clay-court tennis. It’s hard to spy any weaknesses in his game at the moment and if he wins this afternoon, the odds on him completing the calendar slam will shorten. To put that into context, no man has managed to win all four majors in the same year since Rod Laver did it for the second time in 1969.
Weird, then, that Djokovic doesn’t always have the crowd on his side. The crowd on Philippe Chatrier were cheering for Andy Murray in his semi-final on Friday evening and that sometimes riles Djokovic (it was notable that he kept his emotions in check when they returned after the rain delay yesterday). He’s volatile. A shouter. Not everyone is impressed by his little tricks, his acts of gamesmanship, those moments when he appears to be on death’s door one minute and charging around like a demon the next. He’s a bit like Jose Mourinho in that regard. Djokovic is a relentless winning machine. He probably deserves a bit more love.
But I suspect that the crowd will be on the underdog’s side here. Does Wawrinka have a chance? Well, yes, he does, even though Djokovic leads their head-to-head 17-3 and has never lost to the Swiss on clay. He’s a cracking player, his power is awesome when he’s on song, he’s starting to rediscover his best form after struggling for consistency in the aftermath of winning the Australian Open last year and he beat Djokovic 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 9-7 on the way to lifting that title in Melbourne. He has had some memorable five-setters with Djokovic in slams, mostly recently when they met in the Australian Open semi-finals in January. Wawrinka has beaten Roger Federer in straight sets, so this might not be entirely straightforward for Djokovic. Although by the same token, Wawrinka was not completely convincing against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and had to save numerous break points against the Frenchman. Will Djokovic be as generous? There’s more chance of John McEnroe sitting in the umpire’s chair.
Then again, Wawrinka has had an extra day to rest and some pundits spotted a little tightness in Djokovic in his five-set victory over Murray. It should have been over by 6pm on Friday evening. Instead it ended on Saturday afternoon after Murray fought back from two sets down before the rain interrupted them. The prospect of making history could play on Djokovic’s mind. Will there be nerves? Will he allow doubt to dent his astonishing self-belief? Wawrinka will hope so. Seems unlikely, though.
Play begins at: roughly 2pm in London and 3pm in Paris.
