The French Open 2020

First topic message reminder :

With the draw about to be made for RG, I thought I would get this topic going.

For me - and I say this every year - Rafa is clear favourite, although the strange nature of all sport this Covid-19 year might mean someone else (Thiem? Djoko?) might have a chance.

Halep stands out as the women's favourite, particularly as some of the top women are not appearing. More on this after the draw.

Tsitsipas going through a lull, Djokovic levels up 2-2

Tsitsipas sensationally saves BP. Stroke making of a genius

Tsitsipas saves 2 BP 3-2

Djokovic holds easily 3-3

Tsitsipas becoming more difficult to break against. His resilience has improved.

Tsitsipas saves two more BP

And another BP saved

Tsitsipas has saved the last six breakpoints against him.

Tsitsipas saves 4 BP in the 7th game. Clutch 4-3

Djokovic was 4/5 on BP when he served for the match.
Since then he’s 1/10 on BP

Tsitsipas has been put under severe pressure in his last two service games facing three breakpoints and then four breakpoints - but he saved them all.

This is getting interesting. To be fair to both players, any time they are getting break points the other produces great tennis. Not a case of either hitting howlers to lose the point. Tricky match to call

Djokovic easy hold 4-4

Jeff Navarro wrote:Djokovic was 4/5 on BP when he served for the match.
Since then he’s 1/10 on BP

I didn't realise Djokovic had a matchpoint - but I see it now back in the third set when it was 5-4 and Djokovic was serving for the match. Then Djokovic lost the next five games before breaking back. But since then Tsitsipas has been playing the pressure points much better than he had done in the first two sets and most of the third set.

Tsitsipas saves another BP. Boy has big stones

Tsitsipas holds 5-4, epic game for the Greek. Djokovic serving to stay in the set

Tsitsipas breaks and takes us the distance 6-4. Incredible fight back from Tsitsipas

So into a fifth set it goes with Tsitsipas now seeming to be the stronger player in terms of playing the pressure points.

The court seems a lot more slippery in this match than when Nadal played Sinner at this time of night.

It’s totally changed on BP conversion
Djokovic 4/5 to 5/16
Tsitsipas 0/10 to 4/15

Novak at disadvantages. 2nd server again in the 5th

Well I thought it'd be five sets, but I didn't expect it to arrive from the Greek player mustering a sterling comeback. The match has been completely reversed - earlier, Tsitsipas couldn't convert BP chances to save his life, now it's the other way round.

Tsitsipas saves BP again. It’s insane

Tsitsipas 1-0

Djokovic holds 1-1

Djokovic seems to have become obsessed with drop shots

Djokovic finally take a BP 2-1

Djokovic holds 3-1

Double break Djokovic 4-1. All but over

Tsitsipas running on fumes.

So I went away when Tsitsipas was 1-0 in the fifth set and then I return and he is down 1-5 in the fifth set.

What happened - did Djokovic change tactics or did Tsitsipas run out of energy ... ?

Two aces, a double fault, and another saved match point.

Tsitsipas can't save a third match point and Djokovic wins. An interesting match.

Tsitsipas punched himself out I think. Nothing left in the fifth.

He not even chase the balls anyway, two unnecessary additional sets from Novak.

Djokovic's match lasted 3 hr 54 min, while Nadal's match lasted 3 hr 09 min.

ebar86 wrote:He didn't chase the balls anyway, two unnecessary additional sets from Novak.

Okay so he ran out of energy as others mentioned   .  Not sure whether Djokovic had a say in those additional sets because Tsitsipas seemed to up his level and then started playing the pressure points brilliantly - up until into the fifth set.

Tsitsipas can take a lot from that match but I always felt Novak would win through. Tsitsipas was too aggressive early on and erratic because of it. When he settled into a better rhythm things started falling into place for him and he made a match of it. Staying with Djokovic is fine but then you have the physical barrier to overcome as well as the tennis barrier and in the end it was just too big an ask.

Rafa would have enjoyed seeing Novak being dragged into an almost 4 hour scrap over five sets. That tips things further in his favour for the Final.

Think Nadal wins the final in 4 sets.

Just finished watching on a delayed-tape thing.

Really good effort from the Greek. But it's so hard to play well for so long and so that you can win three sets against the top players.

I, too, thought Djoko would win in the end. Those who forecast a five-setter can congratulate themselves.

I would still have made Rafa the favourite if Djoko had won in three quick sets today. A near four-hour match makes it even more likely that Rafa will triumph on Sunday.

In some ways this is the best final. Apart from Thiem, Djoko is really the only one likely to make a match of it against Rafa.

Was out playing tennis so didn't see anything beyond the 2nd set. Sounds a good match in the end and that tsitsipas made a good account of himself. Finding the final very hard to call but deep down I feel Djokovic will win even though I know it's mad to bet against Nadal at RG. Just feel the conditions and the recent head to head will tip it in his favour.

I think both the men's and women's finals are intriguing.  

Swiatek vs Kenin: Swiatek seems unstoppable but she is inexperienced and Kenin is a real fighter with experience of winning a grand slam.  

Then we have Nadal vs Djokovic.  Nadal has to be the strong favorite given his record and given his progression to this years final.  But Djokovic will give it all he has.  Before Djokovic's elbow injury back in 2016 it looked like he was going to be unbeatable on all surfaces, but since then Nadal seems to have recovered to some extent while Djokovic is no longer the invincible that saw him holding all four grand slams titles at the same time.

Tsitsipas has better chance of winning if he wouldn't to win 3 consecutive sets. Too big an ask for him

Final: Predicting similar pattern like Rome 2019 final. Rafa for the win.

Reflecting on last night's match, I'm struck, once again, at just how difficult it is to beat the very top players in a five-setter.

The Big Four have, over the years, been so successful in the Slams that they've consequently played far more five-set matches than anyone.

With that comes five-set fitness and five-set experience. Also, their prowess invariably means they get through early-round Slam matches quickly, leaving more in the tank for the sometimes gruelling semis and finals.

All of these factors leave their lower-ranked, less-experienced opponents with a mountain to climb. They have to play well enough and long enough to win three sets.

They may have exhausted themselves with a long match earlier in the tourney. They then have to cope with the mental and physical effort of a five-setter against a multiple GS champ.

Yesterday, Tsitsipas did wonderfully well to come back from two sets down and played some outstanding tennis, particularly in the last few games of the third set.

But when it came to the 5th set, he had nothing left.

No wonder the big boys have dominated the Slams for so long. Yes, they are some of the greatest players of all time. But even more importantly, they know exactly what it takes to win five-set matches.

It has been their year in year out across the whole season top level consistency that has been insane.  Nowadays they have to manage their schedules better so cannot also sweep up all the masters tournaments as well.  If we look at one of those that made the "top four era" - Andy Murray - he wore all the cartillage and bone away from his hip joint, and yet he is still trying with a metal hip normally reserved for a seventy year old.  He should have been the heir to a collection of grand slams following his 2016 Wimbledon victory but his hip gave way.  It has been mentioned by all of them I think that their rivalry spurred them all on to be better, for consistency, for longevity.

Anyone have stats for players with the best 5 set records when matches go the distance. I know Nishikori is right up there but cannot find the top 10 list. Djokovic must be right up there, I would say Nadal and Murray high in that category too

Looking back at yesterday, huge credit to Tsitsipas. He really did play great, they were both brilliant when defending break points.

I think if Tsitsipas has won he would have really struggled vs Nadal, I think Djokovic will make the final more competitive.

I think probably Nadal in 4 for me

For the women's final today I have to edge towards Kenin given her greater experience/track record. Who knows though? Swiatek has all the weapons but does she hold the belief and the nerve to complete a famous win?

Kenin is favourite today but I doubt there will be many that would be surprised if Swiatek won.

But we really have no idea how a 19-yr-old playing a GS champion in a Slam final is going to perform.

Sharapova, at 17, shocked Serena at Wimbledon in 2004 but she'd already won titles as had Andreescu when she beat Serena in New York last year.

I guess the nearest comparison is Ostapenko who had never won a title when she beat Halep from a set down (and a break down in the second, I think) to win the French in 2017.

I'm taking Kenin to win this afternoon. But it could be close.