Novak Djokovic won his 19th major title and second at Roland Garros following back-to-back comeback wins over Rafael Nadal and Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Barbora Krejcikova proved she wasn’t just a doubles specialist with her first major singles title.
But Djokovic wasn’t quite ready for any of that — and he stormed back to win the next three sets for an epic comeback victory over Tsitsipas, 6-7 , 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.
Despite being 12 years older than his opponent and coming off one of the most emotional victories of his career against Nadal in the semifinal, Djokovic was unstoppable by match’s end.
“I never thought it was a mission impossible to reach the Grand Slams of these guys,” Djokovic said.
“We all have still opportunities at Wimbledon, all the other Slams. You have four Slams a year, so we’re all competing for this amazing achievement and amazing trophies.
For the sixth straight French Open, there was a first-time major champion in the women’s draw.
And not only was it the first major final for both Krejcikova and Pavlyuchenkova, the semifinal round contained all first-time major semifinalists.
But even still, there have now been 12 women to win their first Grand Slam title since the start of the 2016 season.
Coco Gauff staked her claim as one of the brightest young stars in tennis with her fourth round showing at Wimbledon as a 15-year-old in 2019.
Gauff didn’t quite do that, but she made an impressive run to the quarterfinals before losing a heartbreaker to eventual champion Krejcikova.
After the match, Enzo, my hitting partner, told me this match will probably make me a champion in the future.
Williams had fueled retirement speculation following her emotional exit in the semifinal at the Australian Open and then didn’t play a competitive match for three months.
However, the pair of 39-year-olds showed they have plenty of tennis left during their time in Paris.
Federer also made it to the Round of 16, following a hard-fought, late-night win over Dominik Koepfer, and withdrew the following day.
Now with a few wins under their respective belts and believed to be healthy, Williams and Federer head to the grass courts of Wimbledon — a place that has been the site of many favorable results for both over their storied careers.
Tournament officials then released a statement in conjunction with the other three major events, saying Osaka would risk further fines, as well as a possible default from the tournament and future suspension from other Grand Slams if she continued to not speak with the media.
The 23-year-old revealed she has experienced depression and anxiety since winning her first major title at the 2018 US Open and said speaking to the media often makes her nervous.