A sense of emptiness fills the hearts of all tennis lovers as they see how two memorable weeks have come to an end. There were high expectations around Roland Garros 2021, a tournament that could change the history of the sport, and boy it has. Novak Djokovic He has emerged as the great protagonist by beating Nadal and winning his 19th Grand Slam, presenting more forceful credentials than ever before to be considered the best in history. Barbora Krejcikova It was the other big winner of the week, but many other things have happened over 15 days full of excitement, surprises, disappointments and good tennis.
1. Novak Djokovic, a man with a mission and plenty of arguments to achieve it
The Serb is determined to make history, to feed back on every success and to show the world that there are few rational reasons for not being considered the GOAT. His tournament has been impeccable, overcoming complex situations against Musetti and Berrettini until arriving prepared for the match that has been able to change everything, that mythical semifinal against Nadal that elevates him even more. He certified his work in the final, going back two sets to zero and becoming the first player of the Open Era to win all the Grand Slam on more than one occasion. He is just one title behind Federer and Nadal, and he feels like he has a rope for a while.
2. Rafael Nadal, a stumbling block to recover from or a symptom of something deeper?
There are unmistakable signs in Spanish that sunset is very close, or may even have already begun, in a subtle but inexorable way. It would be normal at 35, but these racket monsters have cemented their legend by making sense of that concept of normality. Rafa was defeated in his own home and against his great rival, receiving a hard blow from reality after a tour with lights and shadows. He will return to Paris to try to regain his throne, but it will get more and more complicated.
3. Stefanos Tsitsipas, one point above Medvedev and Zverev in the eternal hunt for the Big 3
There is no way that the dominance of the best in history will cease at the Grand Slam. It seemed that this time it could happen, as the Serbian and the Spanish concentrated in the same area of the table, but Tsitsipas could not finish the task. His clay court tour has been memorable, as has Zverev’s, although the German seems somewhat behind the Hellenic. For his part, Medvedev has shown himself that he can compete with guarantees of success on clay.
4. Roger Federer, reasons for optimism and tribute to tennis
What the Swiss did on that memorable Saturday night against Koepfer, winning without an audience, after dawn and with knee discomfort, is now part of the history of the tournament. He was forced to be cautious and get off the tournament to reach Wimbledon with guarantees, but his time in Paris has not left anyone indifferent. There is always the doubt from now on whether the Helvetian will be seen again in this tournament, but he has shown that at the edge of 40 years he is still capable of playing well on this surface.
5. Alejandro Davidovich and Lorenzo Musetti, young people with a very positive balance
Spanish and Italian can leave Paris happy to see how they have explored their limits, offering sublime tennis moments and aiming high for the future. Davidovich could not compete as he wanted in the last duel, but his capacity for suffering and great play against Ruud was one of the great moments of the tournament. It is the first time he has reached the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam, but it will not be the last. For his part, Musetti has managed to win three games in his first appearance in a Grand Slam and transmits sublime feelings.
6. Barbora Krejcikova, resounding and meteoric progression to make history
Simply impressive the week that the Czech tennis player has curdled, who at the beginning of the season was not even in the top-100 and is showing the world an unattainable potential. He has overcome all the ups and downs in two complex weeks and closed the week in style, with a memorable double with singles and doubles titles.
7. María Sakkari, a capital surprise with no expected prize
It was taken for granted in the second week that the undisputed favorite for the title was Swiatek, but the Greek thrilled the world with an absolutely impressive tennis that led her to the semi-finals, making her the big favorite for the title. However, she lost a memorable match to Krejcikova, seeing her path to glory turn into a feint. It can be a warning of what is to come as she has the potential to be a great champion.
8. Iga Swiatek and Aryna Sabalenka, the great disappointments
Polish and Belarusian together with Barty formed the trio of great favorites; exonerating the Australian for her physical problems, the defeats of Swiatek and Sabalenka were totally unexpected and are interpreted as a missed opportunity for both. They will have to continue working to show that their level of play can be superior to the rest, and the case of Sabalenka is worrying because of his inability to perform at a good level in Grand Slams.
9. Paula Badosa and Cori Gauff, remarkable present and splendorous future
They are tennis and media stars already today, but there is no doubt that Spanish and American are going to be great protagonists soon. They are several years old, but both have that innate competitive capacity so necessary to achieve glory, as well as an enormous ambition to make history, which they have shown in Paris. They fell in the quarterfinals, but they will come back stronger.
10. The case of Naomi Osaka and the need to reflect
The withdrawal of the Japanese after refusing to speak to the press and seeing the fine that they were going to impose, uncovered serious gaps in the treatment of the mental health of the great tennis players, as well as in communication with the WTA on an issue that it must be approached comprehensively and collectively. Naomi has a problem, she can be a spokesperson and promoter of an important change, but she must measure well the way in which she does it since her behavior in Paris was not adequate.
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