2021 Roland Garros winners: Novak Djokovic & Barbora Krejcikova

Barbora Krejcikova

Down two sets to love, Novak Djokovic was a little bit frustrated, and he was not sure where to go. He was playing pretty good but Stefanos Tsitsipas was on fire, mixing it up, cracking the ball, and he was super confident.

But, for the 19th time, Djokovic won a Grand Slam, edging Tsitsipas 6-7(6) 2-6 6-3 6-2 6-4. He stood up tall, his forehand was deep, his backhand was very steady and he moved it all around. He hits it flat, he touches a lot of spin, and then would hit it powerfully, way up high. He returns very well, and he is very quick. He is not perfect at the net, nor are his drop shots, but he always makes a huge effort.

That is why that Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer are the best players, at least by Slam count. This year, Djokovic could win another Slam, and then he will tie with the Spaniard and the Swiss at 20 majors at the Grand Slams. Then the race will begin, in what will be super intense until they retire.


When? It is hard to say, but they are thinking about it frequently, so perhaps there could be some tension.

Tsitsipas looked great in the first two sets, but then he tired, and began confused. Sure, he can win a Slam, eventually, but he still has to adjust inside his head. And if he does, he can lock in during the fifth set, and finally, grab a major prize.

That Barbora Krejcikova won the title was almost crazy. Yes, over the past eight years, she looked terrific in the mixed and doubles, winning a bunch of titles. But, the singles, she looked OK, but not fantastic.

And then in Paris, she beat a number of very good players, and she took them down. She has a lot of variety, with her forehand, her backhand, her first serve and respectable returns. This is simple but it is very true: when you play in the doubles, and Krejcikova plays at the tournaments — she does it overtime. So, because of that, then each year you improve at the net and serving. She certainly did and during the final, it was a lot of pressure in the third set against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. But, Krejcikova continued to stay calm. The veteran Pavlyuchenkova was close in the third, and she was aggressive, but not enough.

Krejcikova won 6-1 2-6 6-4, which was a gigantic win. Now, everyone will know who the Czech is, making it harder for her to jump into the top 10. Currently, she is ranked No. 15. She is looking for the mountain.