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Sunday morning does not provide too much to watch on television. So, as I was flipping through the network political shows, what did I find on NBC? It was something I did not know existed anymore, men’s tennis.
I’m kidding of course, but it has been many years since I really have followed the sport. At 10:30 AM instead of Meet The Press, I got the French Open Finals. So, for the next few hours, it was me, Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, a cream cheese bagel and a hot cup of Joe.
I must say I was unaware that the great Djokovic had never won the French Open. The announcers did a fine job of illustrating how much trouble he has had at Roland Garros over his career, and after dropping the first set 6-3, it looked as if history would repeat itself. That is until the the 29-year-old Serbian got it going. He wrested control of the match in the second set, winning it 6-1, and he really began to feed off the boisterous crowd who knew what was at stake. From there the world’s #1 ranked player was never really challenged, cruising past Murray, the #2 ranked player, 6-2 and 6-4. And so it was complete. Having already hoisted numerous trophies from the other Grand Slam events (Australian Open, US Open, and Wimbledon), matchpoint brought Novak to his knees. When he finally arose, in a sign of gratitude for the electric crowd, and to show just how much finally winning this elusive title meant to him, he traced the shape of a heart in the magnificent red clay with his racquet. Even more impressive I learned, was that with this 2016 French Open title, Novak now presently holds all four Grand Slam titles. It is the first time this has happened since Rod Laver in 1969. #WOW!
in preparing for this entry, I did some research on just how good Novak Djokovic is, and where he stands in today’s game and all time. With Sunday’s title, he now owns 12 Grand Slam victories, placing him third all-time behind Roger Federer (17), Rafael Nadal, and Pete Sampras (who both have 14). As mentioned earlier, he is ranked #1 today, and as for all time, he is already one of the top 10 players to have ever played the sport. Being just 29 years old and seemingly entering into the prime of his career, who knows how many more majors, he could rack up? So, it is not out of the question that he could wind up in the top 5. That my friends is no Djokovic!
Thanks for reading this week’s My 2 Sense.
