One has got to feel for Novak Djokovic and
Maria Sharapova. To have come this far; only to be thwarted, by the better
players – the more consistent ones, on that day – against them.
To their credit, neither Nole nor Sharapova
stopped trying till the very end. Their score-lines may have been vastly
different, with their losses coming in at different stages of the tournament:
the former ending on the losing side after a hard-fought five-setter in the
semi-finals and the latter falling behind in spite of a much closely fought
straight-setter in the finals. Yet there are several interesting parallels
between the two champions.
When Rafa was leading in the fourth set, Nole’s
loss seemed imminent. Rafa was looming, as he always does on clay – he
stretched to near-impossible reaches at the baseline, hovered and attacked from
the net; his reach was everywhere. It was then against this impenetrable
manoeuvring of Rafa that Nole managed to stage a comeback to take the match to
the decider. The shift in the air was palpable and gained even more steam when
Nole broke Rafa in the opening stages of the fifth. It was the perfect
cliff-hanger moment poised fragilely in Nole’s favour. Though Rafa managed to
break Nole again in the eight game, it was sheer determination on Nole’s part
that forced the lengthy and protracted time-span of the final set.
Thrice before Nole had lost to Rafa at the
French Open: twice in the semi-finals and once in the finals, in 2012. A lot
had however changed between the two players between then and now. The Serb
reigned as an undisputable number one, seeking the elusive title that would
complete his grand slam quartet while Rafa was slowly trying to cover and
regain lost ground, courtesy of his seven-month absence from the tennis world. Many
pitted Nole to be the favourite, though none contested Rafa’s credentials on
the surface. Yet hopes were pinned on Nole – especially by those wanting to see
the audacious Serb join the ranks of his immediate two top-ranked predecessors.
It’s a similar vein of story that speaks
about the Russian, in the finals against Serena. From staving off five break
points in the opening game of the match, to break Serena in her opening serve; only
to find herself broken and eventually see the set go out from her grasp. Maria
Sharapova had quite a tumultuous match, trying to defend her 2012 French Open
title. There were moments, when she did get better of the American. But these
moments came and passed by her like flashes. Sharapova wasn’t able to hold on
to them and ultimately was forced to watch the match slip out of her hands.
On a surface that had always troubled her in
the past, Sharapova did well to make it to two finals in a row; even winning
the title in her very first final’s appearance. With the Parisian crowd
cheering behind her as much as they urged on Serena, Sharapova made special
mention about her experiences at Roland Garros. Her courteousness, comport and
poise did well to hearten the enervated emotions of her fans all around. The
true hallmark of a champion, this quality was evidenced in Nole too after the abrupt
halt to his French Open conquest, yet again.
Nole’s penchant for taking losses in his
stride, his unselfishness in giving absolute credit to Rafa and the heartfelt
appreciation he expressed about the quality of tennis both displayed; enriched
tennisdom thoroughly. These are then our champions, who are gracious in their
defeats as they are eloquent talking about their wins. They lead by example,
motivate through sportsmanship and present a facet of true athleticism. A truly
rare quality, in the presently prevailing vortex of gamesmanship and underhanded
innuendoes.
Setbacks
shrugged aside, 
