Nadal Adds to His Pile of French Open Trophies
The NEW York time
Rafael Nadal reacting after his victory over Novak Djokovic. He now has won 14 Grand Slam singles titles, three behind the career leader, Roger Federer. Credit Michel Euler/Associated Press
PARIS — After all the consecutive victories and the confidently clenched fists, after the new hires and the new attitude, the 2014 French Open was just another red-clay rerun for Novak Djokovic.
He arrived in Paris full of fresh and legitimate hope. He will depart again without the trophy, which is officially called the Coupe des Mousquetaires but which is clearly in need of a name change at this belief-beggaring stage of the tournament’s history.
In the modern era, no man has had a tighter grip on a Grand Slam event than Rafael Nadal, whose 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-4 victory over Djokovic allowed him to win his ninth French Open by the age of just 28.
Djokovic, trying to complete his collection of major singles titles, was far from his consistent, suffocating best. But so was Nadal, and this final was, in a sense, a condensed, 3-hour-30-minute version of his trying clay-court season.
He struggled early with his ground strokes and his nerve but steadily gathered strength and belief: whipping his trademark forehand with familiar force down the stretch despite the heat, pressure and fatigue, and finally dropping to his knees in triumph, his taped fingers covering his face.
PARIS — After all the consecutive victories and the confidently clenched fists, after the new hires and the new attitude, the 2014 French Open was just another red-clay rerun for Novak Djokovic.
He arrived in Paris full of fresh and legitimate hope. He will depart again without the trophy, which is officially called the Coupe des Mousquetaires but which is clearly in need of a name change at this belief-beggaring stage of the tournament’s history.
In the modern era, no man has had a tighter grip on a Grand Slam event than Rafael Nadal, whose 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-4 victory over Djokovic allowed him to win his ninth French Open by the age of just 28.
Djokovic, trying to complete his collection of major singles titles, was far from his consistent, suffocating best. But so was Nadal, and this final was, in a sense, a condensed, 3-hour-30-minute version of his trying clay-court season.
He struggled early with his ground strokes and his nerve but steadily gathered strength and belief: whipping his trademark forehand with familiar force down the stretch despite the heat, pressure and fatigue, and finally dropping to his knees in triumph, his taped fingers covering his face.
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