2021 French Open – Men's singles final
 Novak Djokovic (1) vs.  Stefanos Tsitsipas (5) | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date | 13 June 2021 | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Tournament | French Open | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Paris, France | ||||||||||||||||||
| Chair umpire | Aurélie Tourte | ||||||||||||||||||
| Duration | 4 hours, 11 minutes | ||||||||||||||||||
The 2021 French Open Men's Singles final was the championship tennis match of the men's singles tournament at the 2021 French Open, contested by first-seed Novak Djokovic and fifth-seed Stefanos Tsitsipas. Djokovic came back from two-sets-to-love down to defeat Tsitsipas, marking the fifth time that such comeback has occurred in a French Open final in the Open Era, after the finals in 1974, 1984, 1999, and 2004.[1] By reaching the final, Tsitsipas became the first Greek player to reach a major final.[2] With the win, Djokovic won his 19th major and became the first man in the Open Era to achieve the Double Career Grand Slam.[3] Djokovic also became the first man to win a major in the Open Era after coming back from two-sets-to-love-down in two matches in the same major.[4]
It was a rematch of the previous year's semifinal, which Djokovic also won in five-sets.[5] It marked the second consecutive year a man trailed by two sets in a major final yet rallied to win, following Dominic Thiem's victory at the 2020 US Open.
The match itself was praised as one of the best of the 2021 season.[6][7]
Background[edit]
Entering into the final, Djokovic led the career head-to-head, with 5 wins to 2 wins.[8] Previous to the French Open, Djokovic had won the 2021 Australian Open, and was aiming to win his 19th major at the French Open, along with achieving the first Double Career Grand Slam.[9] On the other hand, Tsitsipas had won more matches on clay than any other player during the season, and had won titles at both the 2021 Lyon Open and the 2021 Monte-Carlo Masters.[10]
In the semifinals, Djokovic defeated the four-time defending champion and thirteen-time overall champion Rafael Nadal in an epic in four sets that lasted over four hours.[11] It was a rematch of the previous year's final, and marked the third time in Nadal's career that he was defeated at the French Open, and was both his first semifinal loss at the event and the first time that Nadal had lost a match at the French Open after having won the first set.[12][13] On the other hand, Tsitsipas beat Alexander Zverev in five sets.[2]
Djokovic had also come back from two-sets-to-love down in the fourth round against Lorenzo Musetti.[4]
Statistics[edit]
| Category | Djokovic | Tsitsipas |
|---|---|---|
| 1st serve % | 91 of 134 = 68% | 109 of 177 = 62% |
| Aces | 5 | 14 |
| Double faults | 3 | 4 |
| Winners | 56 | 61 |
| Unforced errors | 41 | 44 |
| Winners − Unforced errors | +15 | +17 |
| Winning % on 1st serve | 71 of 91 = 78% | 73 of 109 = 67% |
| Winning % on 2nd serve | 23 of 43 = 53% | 34 of 68 = 50% |
| Receiving points won | 70 of 177 = 40% | 40 of 134 = 30% |
| Break point conversions | 5 of 16 = 31% | 3 of 8 = 38% |
| Net points won | 19 of 30 = 63% | 19 of 31 = 61% |
| Total points won | 164 | 147 |
| Fastest serve | 198 km/h (123 mph) | 205 km/h (127 mph) |
| Average 1st serve speed | 177 km/h (110 mph) | 186 km/h (116 mph) |
| Average 2nd serve speed | 140 km/h (87 mph) | 152 km/h (94 mph) |
References[edit]
- ^ West, Ewan (2024-01-28). "8 players to come back from two sets down to win a Grand Slam final ft. Rafael Nadal and Jannik Sinner". sportskeeda. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
- ^ a b Imhoff, Dan (2021-06-11). "Tsitsipas makes history for Greece, reaches first major final". www.rolandgarros.com. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
- ^ Berkok, John (2021-06-14). "Stat of the Day: Novak Djokovic becomes first man in Open Era with a Double Career Slam". Tennis.com. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
- ^ a b "Djokovic rallies to capture 19th Grand Slam title". ESPN.com. 2021-06-13. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
- ^ Fendrich, Howard (2021-06-12). "Djokovic meets Tsitsipas in Old vs New final at French Open". AP News. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
- ^ Tignor, Steve (2021-12-06). "The Top 10 Matches of 2021, No. 5: Novak Djokovic d. Stefanos Tsitsipas, Roland Garros final". Tennis.com. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
- ^ Srivastava, Utkarsh (2021-12-20). "Top 5 Tennis Matches of 2021: Who gave the greatest performances?". FirstSportz. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
- ^ Singh, Anshul (2021-06-12). "French Open 2021 Finals: Novak Djokovic v Stefanos Tsitsipas Preview, Head-to-Head, and Prediction". EssentiallySports. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
- ^ Futterman, Matthew (2021-06-13). "Now Halfway to a Grand Slam, Novak Djokovic Wins the French Open". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
- ^ Jurejko, Jonathan (2021-06-11). "Tsitsipas reaches first Grand Slam final". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
- ^ Carayol, Tumaini (2021-06-11). "Novak Djokovic reaches French Open final with epic win over Rafael Nadal". amp.theguardian.com. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
- ^ Wells, Adam (2021-06-11). "Novak Djokovic Beats Rafael Nadal to Advance to 2021 French Open Men's Final". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
- ^ Allen, William (2024-05-27). "When did Rafael Nadal last lose a match at the French Open?". Diario AS. Retrieved 2024-05-31.