Novak Djokovic has claimed his first French Open crown in a commanding come-from-behind victory over Andy Murray at Roland Garros.
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The victory puts Djokovic in elite company – his 12th grand slam title. It moves him ahead of Rod Laver and Bjorn Borg, and equal with Roy Emerson, while it also means he has won all four grand slams since his loss to Stan Wawrinka in the 2015 French Open Final.
It wasn’t all one-way traffic though, with Murray firing out of the gates under overcast skies and claiming the first set in dominant style to surprise everyone.
It wouldn’t have been a great surprise to see Murray win the first set, but the way it was won would have left those in the Serbian’s camp very worried.
Djokovic looked to be feeling the effects of playing three games in three days – he simply wasn’t hitting the ball well, not serving well and making a lot of unforced errors.
Following the first set loss though, something seemed to spark for Djokovic and he was a completely different player coming out of the break as he dropped just three individual games over the next two sets.
Djokovic was ruthless in his aggression, hitting very close to the baseline more often than not and keeping Murray under all sorts of pressure – something he didn’t handle well, not hitting the ball with any fire or intent, and before long he was down two sets to one.
Murray’s biggest problem though wasn’t Djokovic – rather, it was himself. He missed way too many first serves, and ended up with just 55 of 109 in at the end of the match.
The amount of time Murray has spent on court throughout the Open – with his first two rounds which both went to five sets being the key culprits – really came back to hurt Murray today. He made too many errors and couldn’t control his play, and with his serving the way it was Djokovic simply punished him.
Djokovic also had a 50 per cent break point success rate, with 7 of 14 as Murray buckled under pressure.
Another key to Djokovic’s final three sets was his aggression level off the racket. He was looking to hit the winner down the line wherever he could, and as good as Murray’s defence is it simply wasn’t enough to stave off the Serbian who ended with 41 winners.
The final set was a little more closely fought, but again Djokovic would run away with a double break.
Doubt looked to be creeping into the world No.1’s game though, as he failed to serve out the match once, and then Murray held serve.
When Murray was on his game he was a sight to watch, with plenty of nice drop shots and perfect angles and power thrown in for good measure. However, he was far too inconsistent and Djokovic would race to a 40-15 advantage in what turned out to be the final game of the match.
Djokovic would double fault, before Murray brought it back to deuce. For a moment it looked like the set would be back on serve, but some cracking forehands following strong serves ensured there would be no coming back for Murray who ultimately put the final shot of the match into the net.
In the end, Djokovic was simply too good in Paris winning his fourth grand slam final in a row and first in Paris as Murray once again was the runner up at a grand slam.
Final score
Novak Djokovic 3 6 6 6
Andy Murray 6 1 2 4
Stats
Aces: Djokovic (4), Murray (5)
Double faults: Djokovic (3), Murray (3)
First serves in: Djokovic (76/110), Murray (55/109)
Points won on first serve: Djokovic (49/76), Murray (34/55)
Points won on second serve: Djokovic (20/34), Murray (22/34)
Break points won: Djokovic (7/14), Murray (3/10)
Winners: Djokovic (41), Murray (23)
Unforced errors: Djokovic (37), Murray (39)
Total points won: Djokovic (122), Murray (97)
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