2023 French Open takeaways – Novak Djokovic closing in on history, Naomi Osaka’s stand

Novak Djokovic received his nineteenth main 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 only a doubles specialist together with her first main singles title. After all, she received in doubles too alongside her associate Katerina Siniakova and have become the primary lady since 2000 to tug off the feat on the event.

So sure, the 2023 French Open was a fairly memorable Grand Slam.

Listed here are a number of the largest classes realized throughout the excursions’ springtime cease in Paris.

Djokovic staking declare as largest of the ‘Massive Three’

For 2 units in Sunday’s remaining, it appeared there may lastly be proof of a altering of the guard atop males’s tennis. Maybe the stranglehold of the Massive Three on Grand Slam titles was lastly easing.

However Djokovic wasn’t fairly prepared for any of that — and he stormed again to win the following three units for an epic comeback victory over Tsitsipas, 6-7 (6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. He grew to become simply the sixth man within the historical past of the Open period to win at a significant after falling right into a 0-2 deficit.

Regardless of being 12 years older than his opponent and coming off probably the most emotional victories of his profession in opposition to Nadal within the semifinal, Djokovic was unstoppable by match’s finish. Having now received each majors held in 2023, and being the plain favourite getting into Wimbledon, the US Open and the Olympics, Djokovic has an opportunity to affix Steffi Graf as the one gamers to attain the Golden Slam.

“I’ve achieved some issues that lots of people thought it will be not attainable for me to attain,” Djokovic stated Sunday. “All the pieces is feasible, and I did put myself in a very good place to go for the Golden Slam.”

After all, Djokovic is now only one title behind Nadal and Roger Federer for the document on the lads’s aspect. He may have the chance to tie and even surpass them this 12 months.

Whereas a lot of the GOAT dialog getting into the event centered on Nadal due to his careerlong domination on clay and his potential to take sole possession of the document with a 14th title at Roland Garros, Djokovic performed spoiler and now his ascent within the historical past books appears inevitable.

“I by no means thought it was a mission inconceivable to succeed in the Grand Slams of those guys,” Djokovic stated. “I imply, I’m not there, however it’s one much less. However they’re nonetheless enjoying, clearly they’re enjoying nice, particularly Rafa along with his degree.

“All of us have nonetheless alternatives at Wimbledon, all the opposite Slams. You could have 4 Slams a 12 months, so we’re all competing for this superb achievement and superb trophies. I’ll carry on going. I’ll carry on chasing. On the similar time, I’ll carry on paving my very own path.”

His personal path very a lot may finish with him being thought of the best male tennis participant to ever play the game.

Djokovic is the reigning champion at Wimbledon and would be the event’s prime seed.

The unpredictable (and wildly enjoyable) world of girls’s tennis

For the sixth straight French Open, there was a first-time main champion within the girls’s draw. Taking part in in simply her fifth major draw at a Grand Slam and beginning with odds within the 200-to-1 vary in accordance with a number of sports activities books, Krejcikova defeated Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-1, 2-6, 6-4 in Saturday’s remaining.

And never solely was it the primary main remaining for each Krejcikova and Pavlyuchenkova, the semifinal spherical contained all first-time main semifinalists. Heck, even the quarterfinals contained only one participant ranked within the prime 10.

Positive, there have been maybe extra notable absences and withdrawals than regular. Simona Halep, the 2018 champion and world No. 3, pulled out with a calf harm earlier than play obtained underway. Naomi Osaka and Petra Kvitova, each multiple-time Grand Slam winners, withdrew forward of their second-round matches. Prime-ranked Ashleigh Barty, the 2019 Roland Garros winner, needed to retire from her second-round match with an harm. However even nonetheless, there have now been 12 girls to win their first Grand Slam title because the begin of the 2016 season. The 2023 French Open was actually not an outlier.

What has develop into abundantly clear is that this: The depth of expertise in girls’s tennis is staggering and even a participant who not too long ago cracked the highest 100 corresponding to Krejcikova might emerge victorious at any main.

With so many gamers having gone two years since enjoying on grass due to the pandemic and the cancellation of the 2023 event, Wimbledon could possibly be equally unpredictable.

That’s what makes it so thrilling.

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Barbora Krejcikova reacts to successful the French Open after beating Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

Cocomania hits a brand new excessive

Coco Gauff staked her declare as one of many brightest younger stars in tennis together with her fourth spherical exhibiting at Wimbledon as a 15-year-old in 2019. Whereas she had since made the fourth spherical at two different majors, she hadn’t been in a position to break by means of additional.

However she arrived in Paris with momentum on her aspect. The previous junior champion at Roland Garros had received the titles in singles and doubles at Parma and made a semifinal look in Rome — and was even a classy outdoors choose from the specialists to win the event.

Gauff didn’t fairly try this, however she made a formidable run to the quarterfinals earlier than dropping a heartbreaker to eventual champion Krejcikova. Gauff took an early 3-0 result in begin the match and had 5 set level alternatives, however she couldn’t convert any of them.

“I’m clearly disenchanted that I wasn’t in a position to shut out the primary set,” Gauff stated after the loss. “To be trustworthy, it’s up to now, it already occurred. After the match, Enzo, my hitting associate, informed me this match will in all probability make me a champion sooner or later. I actually do imagine that.”

Now with a career-high rating of No. 23, Gauff heads to the grass-court season using her newest excessive and able to return to the main that began all of it.

One for the followers

Because the clock neared the 11 p.m. native time curfew in Paris throughout the Nadal and Djokovic semifinal, the 5,000 followers within the stands at Court docket Philippe Chatrier grew anxious in regards to the required exodus.

After Djokovic received the third set, with simply minutes to go earlier than the anticipated curfew announcement, French officers informed the followers over the loudspeaker they might have the ability to stay by means of the match’s conclusion as a result of “extraordinary circumstances.” The group roared in appreciation — and the followers remained simply as passionate till after the ultimate level.

“The ambiance was utterly electrical,” Djokovic stated Friday after the match. “For each gamers, a number of assist. Simply superb.

“I used to be very comfortable that there was no curfew, 11. I heard there was a particular waiver, in order that they allowed the group to remain. Simply one among these nights and matches that you’ll bear in mind eternally.”

39 and feeling positive

There have been extra questions than solutions for each Serena Williams and Federer as they arrived at Roland Garros.

Williams had fueled retirement hypothesis following her emotional exit within the semifinal on the Australian Open after which didn’t play a aggressive match for 3 months. She had notched a disappointing 1-2 document on clay in lead-in occasions when she lastly returned to motion and her lone victory got here in opposition to a 17-year-old enjoying within the first WTA match of her profession.

Federer was enjoying in his first main because the 2023 Australian Open after present process two surgical procedures on his proper knee. He had performed in simply two tournaments since returning and misplaced his sole match on clay on the Geneva Open.

Nevertheless, the pair of 39-year-olds confirmed they’ve loads of tennis left throughout their time in Paris. Williams made it to the fourth spherical earlier than falling to Elena Rybakina, however she was optimistic after the loss.

“I’m in a significantly better place than after I obtained right here,” Williams stated

Federer additionally made it to the Spherical of 16, following a hard-fought, late-night win over Dominik Koepfer, and withdrew the next day. “After two knee surgical procedures and over a 12 months of rehabilitation it’s necessary that I hearken to my physique and ensure I don’t push myself too shortly on my highway to restoration,” he stated in a press release.

Now with a couple of wins below their respective belts and believed to be wholesome, Williams and Federer head to the grass courts of Wimbledon — a spot that has been the location of many favorable outcomes for each over their storied careers. Williams has received seven titles there, and Federer has eight.

Each reached the ultimate on the All England Membership in 2019.

Their consolation on the floor may give them much more of an edge this 12 months after a two-year break for a lot of from enjoying on grass.

“Wimbledon was at all times going to be a greater floor for [Williams] and a spot the place she had a greater likelihood to make a run,” ESPN analyst and 21-time main doubles champion Pam Shriver stated final week after Williams’ loss on the French Open. “There’s a bonus this 12 months greater than ever for her as a result of she’s performed a lot on grass throughout her profession, whereas the youthful gamers are actually going to be missing the expertise.”

An overdue dialog about psychological well being

Naomi Osaka, the world No. 2 and four-time main champion, introduced earlier than the event obtained underway that she wouldn’t be talking to the media all through her time in Paris, citing her psychological well being. After successful her opener, she was fined $15,000 for skipping her information convention, as said within the Grand Slam rulebook. Event officers then launched a press release along with the opposite three main occasions, saying Osaka would danger additional fines, in addition to a attainable default from the event and future suspension from different Grand Slams if she continued to not converse with the media.

Osaka responded the next day by saying her choice to withdraw, calling it “the perfect factor for the event, the opposite gamers and my well-being.”

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Stephen A. Smith reacts to Naomi Osaka withdrawing from the French Open and applauds her for being open about her psychological well being.

The 23-year-old revealed she has skilled despair and nervousness since successful her first main title on the 2018 US Open and stated talking to the media typically makes her nervous. She obtained widespread assist from her friends in tennis and past, together with Venus Williams, Sloane Stephens, four-time WNBA All-Star Skylar Diggins-Smith, seven-time NBA All-Star Kyrie Irving, F1 racing famous person Lewis Hamilton and eight-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt.

French tennis federation president Gilles Moretton insisted Sunday that the group dealt with it “the best approach,” however questions stay about how tournaments, in addition to the WTA and ATP, can additional prioritize the well-being of the athletes.

Stephens, a member of the WTA’s participant council, stated it was one thing she and her fellow council members had been actively engaged on and known as it their “No. 1 dialogue.”

“I believe most of [the conversations have] been, you understand, how can we make gamers really feel comfortable and wholesome on this surroundings that we’re all in, that we’re compelled in, clearly as a result of we’re in a pandemic,” Stephens stated. “How can we make gamers really feel that they will nonetheless succeed on this surroundings, how can we make them really feel like they’re nonetheless in a position to carry out at their finest degree, although we are actually trapped in our resort rooms like 24/7.”

Osaka, in the meantime, stated she could be taking a while away from tennis and she or he has since withdrawn from this week’s grass-court occasion in Berlin. Her standing for Wimbledon is unclear.