Sun 11 October 2020:
Spain’s Rafael Nadal won the men’s singles title at the 2020 French Open after beating Novak Djokovic in Sunday’s final.
This is his 20th Grand Slam title, tying with Swiss legend Roger Federer.
Nadal’s 100th win here was almost flawless – 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 in two hours and 41 minutes in front of a drastically reduced audience because of the pandemic at a rescheduled slam under a new roof at Court Philippe Chatrier, with the flecks of Parisian sun sneaking through the gaps – yet a final of rolling contradictions, too.
Only Federer, with 31, has played in more slam singles finals than Nadal (28) and Djokovic (27). That’s a near impenetrable shutout of their contemporaries in the Open era.
Federer has spread his 20 majors over 14 years and seven months – just four months longer than Nadal. A lot of marriages don’t last that long, and their relationship – with interventions from Djokovic – has been the enduring rivalry of modern sport.
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