Was the final of this Roland Garros played on Friday evening? It is certainly difficult to imagine that Sunday’s match will reach the heights of the semi-final between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. But the Serbian does not yet have the Musketeers Cup in his hands, far from it. To win Roland-Garros once again and thus become the first player of the Open era to pin two titles from each Grand Slam to his record, he will have to overcome one of the fittest men of this season: Stéfanos Tsitsipás.
World number one in the ATP Race (ranking which determines the player with the most points for the current season), the Greek seems to be in Olympic form. Evidenced by his recent results on clay: finalist in Barcelona, he has since won two new titles in Monte-Carlo and Lyon. The Greek has impressed since the start of the fortnight. Before his semi-final won with guts against the German Alexander Zverev (6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 4-6, 6-3), he had lost only a small set in the course of road (in the third round against John Isner). “He feels out of place, entrusted to Release Patrick Mouratoglou, mentor of the young Greek. This is his fourth Grand Slam semi-final. He is in a state of mind where for him, it’s victory or nothing. “
A “very physical” finish
Novak Djokovic will have a lot to do to channel the forehand aggressiveness of Stéfanos Tsitsipás and find flaws in his exceptional ground coverage. But the Serbian is ready. He only showed it too well on Friday against the owners. “I know what to do [face à Tsitsipás], assured the “Djoker” after his victory. It is obviously a great achievement for him since it is the first time that he is in the final of a Grand Slam. But it’s not going to stop there. He is in great physical shape. He has matured too, as a player on clay, without forgetting that it is his privileged surface. We played a high-quality five-set semi-final game here last year. [victoire du Serbe 6-3, 6-2, 5-7, 4-6, 6-1]. So I think this game will be difficult. I hope I can recharge my batteries as much as possible, because I really need some firepower for Sunday. ”
This is one of the big unanswered questions: will the world number one have recovered from his physical and psychological battle against the Taurus of Manacor? “This is not the first time that I have played an epic Grand Slam semi-final and then have to play the final less than forty-eight hours later. My recovery capacities are pretty good and my physiotherapist will do everything in his power to keep me fresh and ready. ” Stéfanos Tsitsipás is warned. He who also had to draw on his reserves to get out of the clutches of Alexander Zverev in the semifinals, is already expecting a fight “Very physical”.
Two dimensions
“The odds are objectively below 50% because for me we are dealing with the best player in history”, estimates Patrick Mouratoglou. If there are few flaws in the game of the Serbian since the start of this tournament, his start to the match sometimes leaves much to be desired. Whether against the Italian Lorenzo Musetti in the round of 16 where he is led two innings to zero or in the semi, against Rafael Nadal, where he takes five games from the start. “I don’t believe in a bad start to the match, puts the French coach into perspective. Novak had lost confidence in recent months and he just needed a match like this, against Rafa, to find her. ”
For the coach, Stéfanos Tsitsipás has the weapons to come and titillate the world number one as he demonstrated during their last confrontation in Rome in early May (defeat 4-6, 7-5, 7-5). Her “Ability to vary in reverse” first, as well as his “Exceptional forehand”. The 22-year-old can also count on his impressive net success since the start of the fortnight. “It’s time for me to take my chance and show that I can play against Rafa or Novak, he assured just after his semi-final. I’m very happy to change gear, go up a level and go. “
Stéfanos Tsitsipás is lucid. His match against Alexander Zverev may have electrified the public on Friday, the two players of the Next Gen clearly did not pedal on the same plateau as their two elders who offered in stride a titanic performance. If by chance the 5th player in the world were to achieve the feat of beating the Djoker on Sunday, he would become the first Greek in history to win a Grand Slam title. One statistic could help him believe in his chances: no one has ever won Roland Garros after beating Rafael Nadal (neither Söderling in 2009, nor Djokovic in 2015). Like what, a final is never played in advance.
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