Djokovic lifts maiden French Open title to complete career grand slam

In the second grand slam of the year, we saw a repeat of what happened in the first. World No.1 and top seed Novak Djokovic took the French Open title away from Andy Murray, just like he did at the Australian Open in January. A slice of history also came with the title as Djokovic became the eighth man in the history of tennis to win all four Grand Slams, joining Rod Laver, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Andre Agassi, Roy Emerson, Don Budge and Fred Perry. His 28th consecutive grand slam win also gave him the distinction of holding all the four grand slams across the three surfaces simultaneously, becoming the third person to achieve it after Rod Laver won his famous pair of Grand Slams in 1962 and 1969 and Don Budge. Djokovic’s 12th grand slam title also moved him to joint fourth in the all time list, alongside Roy Emerson, for most major titles with just Roger Federer (17), Rafael Nadal (14), and Pete Sampras (14) ahead of him.

The Scot came right back into the match in the second game winning three points in a row to go 0-40 up with unforced errors from Djokovic lending a helping hand. Three break points were in the bag, and Murray looked set to make it 1-1 on the afternoon. However, Djokovic saved the first with a smash before producing an ace to make it 30-40. But, Murray sealed the break with an outrageous backhand lob.

13 unforced errors from Djokovic stood out in the first set as Andy Murray looked all too comfortable at the Roland Garros. The World No.1 needed to get a hold on those errors to get back into the match, and he did just that in the second set. The Serbian started with a tight first game, where he saved a break point before banking on his forehand to force an error from his rival. Another well-placed effort forced Murray to play it back to the net as Djokovic started the second set on a positive note. The World No.1 then broke through Murray in the next game with a double fault from the Scot helping the Serbian.

(Also, read about Dominic Thiem – the challenger in making to Djokovic's throne?)

The third set was a repeat of the second as Djokovic looked in control of the match. Murray looked down every time after he lost a point, and he was seemingly affected when the crowd started cheering for his opponent. The match became more of a mental battle, and Murray lost it completely. It looked all too easy for the Serbian. Murray needed something to get back into the match, and he got the chance in the sixth game of the third set. The Scot took a 15-40 lead against the World No.1 and had four chances to break his serve, however, Djokovic bounced back and showed tremendous character to shut the door on Murray's face. The script was moving towards an inevitable end.

A 6-2 win in the third set put Djokovic within touching distance of his maiden French Open title, but Murray delayed the inevitable with a spirited fight back. But it was too little, too late. With Djokovic serving for the title at 5-3, Murray broke through and then held his serve to make a match out of nothing. But the ‘Unstoppable’ was not to be stopped. Djokovic served for the title for the second time in the match and although it went to a deuce, an unforced error by Murray helped the World No.1 lift his maiden French Open title. 

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