Nadal beat Djokovic 3–6, 7–5, 6–2, 6–4 to win a record ninth French Open, his 14th grand slam (equalling Pete Sampras in second spot of the all-time list) and to keep the number one spot in the rankings. The match didn’t hold the quality of last year’s semi-final, but it was a great match with lots of ups and downs, but as soon as Nadal had won the second set he looked ready to run a few more hours, while Djokovic looked tired. It’s almost like you need a 2-0 lead to feel like you have a chance. Despite Nadal winning …
No, I don’t mean if he can call him or not. What I’m talking about is excellent tennis writer Steve Tignor’s article called the Big 4 O where he starts like this: This past Sunday, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic officially entered middle age together. It was their 40th meeting—the Big 4-Oh—though from a competitive standpoint it was one of their least memorable. For the third straight time, Djokovic was by far the better player. Last fall, in both Beijing and London, he beat Rafa 6-3, 6-4; in Miami he closed him out even more rapidly, 6-3, 6-3. It was one of the most comprehensive …
