Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka will battle for the Roland Garros title on Sunday. Djokovic is going for the career Grand Slam, while Wawrinka aims for his second major trophy.
Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka will be squaring off for the 21st time in their careers when they collide in the French Open final on Sunday afternoon.
Djokovic is dominating the head-to-head series 17-3, but that is not to say the matchup has been without drama. In fact, their last four Grand Slam meetings (and all of their completed slam showdowns that did not end in retirement) have resulted in five-setters. Djokovic won the most epic of all 1-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-7(5), 12-10 in the 2013 Australian Open semifinals and he prevailed 2-6, 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 later that season in the U.S. Open semis. Wawrinka got some revenge with a 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 9-7 upset at the 2014 Aussie Open before Djokovic returned the favor 7-6(1), 3-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-0 earlier this year Down Under.
The world No. 1 is 5-1 lifetime against Wawrinka on clay and the only blemish came via first-set retirement at the 2006 Umag event. They have faced each other eight times since their last clash on the slow stuff, which came three years ago in Madrid (Djokovic got the job done 7-6(5), 6-4).
Although Wawrinka is a major champion who has always accounted himself well on red dirt, his appearance in the Roland Garros title match could not have been expected. The ninth-ranked Swiss had lost seven of his previous 15 matches leading up to this fortnight. Suddenly in swashbuckling form, Wawrinka has advanced with wins over Marsel Ilhan, Dusan Lajovic, Steve Johnson, Gilles Simon, Roger Federer, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga–almost all of them in convincing fashion.
Whereas Wawrinka (and Tsonga, among others) benefited from a weak bottom half of the bracket, Djokovic put in the hard yards during a daunting trek through the top half. After disposing of Jarkko Nieminen, Gilles Muller, Thanasi Kokkinakis, and Richard Gasquet, the top-ranked Serb made quick 7-5, 6-3, 6-1 work of nine-time champion Rafael Nadal. Andy Murray then pushed Djokovic to five sets in a semifinal spread out over two days, but the favorite survived 6-3, 6-3, 5-7, 5-7, 6-1. He is now 41-2 for the season and has won 28 matches in a row.
As strong as Wawrinka is on clay, the underdog will struggle to hit through Djokovic’s borderline impenetrable defense on a relatively slow court. Djokovic did not have to spend too much energy in his continuation against Murray on Saturday–especially not physically–and the brief scare may actually serve as a wake-up call.
With Djokovic one step away from the career Grand Slam, there will be no stopping him now.
Pick: Djokovic in 4
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Crybaby will fail better.
Nole will win in less than five violating the Rafa 20 second rule at least two dozen times along the way like he did against Murray.
Calendar slam is happening.
Yes! Very true.
agree with the pick. should be djokovic in 4. he didn’t spend a lot of energy today against andy, his previous matches were 3 setters, so his tank should be reasonably full. andy has much more variety, while stan has power. all said, nole matches up nicely with power hitters and finally, he is on a mission for a missing slam.
Reblogged this on Tennis Abides.
Can’t wait to see the backhand exchanges in this one…Joker in 3.
Me too! No, i don’t think it will be this simple. Stan is solid on both service and return games.
VR are you on Twitter?
Yes , I am on twitter but I don’t really use it. Used it once for a very short period. I am assuming you use it regularly?
Mostly just follow but another VR favourited one of my posts to Robbie koenig.
I am going with Novak in four sets. I think Stan is playing well enough now to at least get a set off him.
hawkeye,
Do we want to know what you said to Robbie Koenig, per chance? 🙂
Stanimal in 5 is the pick.
#BeastMode
If Nole can choke away 2 sets against a clay scrub like Murray he will definitely choke as Stan hits the cover off the ball. Watch for the histrionics: mouthbreathing/dying , dramatic “injury” scene , contacts having clay blown in them/can’t see, stomach sickness, bird flu, SARS, etc.
Djoko in 4
Today’s final is a repeat of the 2013 scenario with a different cast. i.e. a mere formality.
Wawrinka will be desperate to prove he is not a one-trick pony so it will be more competitive but he will be helpless in the face of Novak’s will to achieve this ultimate prize.
Djokovic in 4 with a wobble in the 3rd set.
Mighty quiet round here 😉
Perhaps everybody has forgotten it’s the final and gone out for the day.
# ? ? ?
Novak took Federer out in straight sets in the AO SF and went on to win his first slam in 4 against Tsonga. Seven years and 8 slams later he is poised to make it 9, complete his Career Grand Slam and set the scene for the possibility of a Calendar Grand Slam.
#Serendipity
Djoker in 4. Don’t think STan will be a pushover though……he’s taken Djoker to 5 on what 4/5 occasions in slams now and clay is STan’s best surface.
yeah, thinking about it if he can take Djoker to 5 repeatedly and beat him on his favourite surface the AO then he could cause the upset here…..
but won’t
not this time at any rate
no probably not…..just saying it’s not necessarily the done deal that most people are saying….
Sigh. I see Murray took Djoker to 5 over 2 days. I guess if they had completed the match in one day then it would have been Djoker in 3. What was he doing, falling asleep??!
I have avoided all news to do with the match and only found out 10 minutes ago who was in the final. If Murray had won then the British press would have been declaring him the clay goat as he would have beaten Djoker who beat Rafa ergo he is the GOAT to end all GOATS. Thank God it didn’t happen….!
amy,
Murray finally started playing well late in the third set. The play was suspended at 3-3 in the fourth set. He was really going toe-to-toe with Novak. When they came back the next day Murray won the fourth set, pushing it to a fifth set. But then Murray was broken early and that was really it. The fifth set was not competitive.
But this is the first time in a long while that Murray has at least made a match of it. I think he’s going to take good things out of it and be ready for Wimby.
Oh my God. the british commies are already banging on about Nole and Murray….match of the decade &tc…have had to switch channels…
I’m watching on Eurosport but I’ve turned the volume right down to spare myself the hyperbole.
are you dreading Wimby as much as I am nadline?? because they will be going on and on and on about how fedal are toast again….Nole/Murray the GOAT rivalry…..Murray beating Rafa in Madrid and going 5 with Nole after Rafa could only go 3 ergo Murray is now Nole’s rival on clay now not Rafa…..
honestly, I bet you…..
It’s torture nowadays listening to the commies.
yeah I really can’t stand it. the only consolation I can think of coming up to wimby is that Castle is going to look like the idiot he is having gone on and on last year about how the big 4 was now a big 5 with Dimitrov as the new member…..oh really!!??
Guga there to hand over the trophy!! oh this get’s worse and worse…..!!
Ha Ha. I’m watching on Eurosport Player. No commentary at all. What bliss.
no commentary!! gonna have to sign up for it for Wimby….
Those shorts Stan is wearing are an aberration.
How can this be a RG final without Rafa? This is a joke. Can’t wait for normal service to resume in 2016.
C’mon Nole, get your maiden RG trophy so we can finally be rid of the endless will-he, won’t he pre RG palaver. Time for some peace pre RG so the King of Clay can be feted without undue interference.
Adje Nole!
Vamos Novak!