French Open 2020 Final Review: Nadal Wins Historic 13th Title at Roland Garros, First Ever Grand Slam Title For Poland on Women's Side

Roland Garros/French Open

Image courtesy of Yann Caradec's Flickr page - Roland Garros 2008: https://www.flickr.com/photos/la_bretagne_a_paris/2548469251/in/photolist-4Tcz82-6tZnxV-87P6sX-ey7ZS4-4Th8wE-eiptGP-6uaRCZ-87vLZp-86G6Ka-ey9ecr-c7XVQu-nCzATg-eBzLQm-nCAVGe-nWRDSg-nT31do-dGmT28-nCzje4-nCzR2q-nT2Xd5-nV4Xqn-nT2ASf-eZKnLF-6urJ2w-nUM8dD-nCzJ2p-nUWDeU-caonqS-nCzGrQ-nUWRpA-nCzE6t-ewJaxS-ekA48R-nWRBFT-nULZA4-nCAKKF-nUWLLs-9T16gt-nT2zmu-nCALjX-ezweD2-9T15Lr-nULZgB-ewEXSc-nUMjfi-ewJ9fS-6qwFaz-ezzoMd-9LRAp8-ewJ9S1

Creative Commons License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Photo courtesy of Yann Caradec's Flickr Page - Rafael Nadal: https://www.flickr.com/photos/la_bretagne_a_paris/5756335239 Creative Commons License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Rafael Nadal looked as dominant as ever with yet another run at the terre battue of the courts of Roland Garros in Paris. He won another French Open title with a surprisingly easy, blowout win over world number one Novak Djokovic in the Men's Final yesterday, winning 6-0, 6-2, 7-5. Yes, he handed Djokovic a bagel in that first set. How often do you see someone beating Djokovic in a set without so much as dropping a game? 

It was a classic Grand Slam final in terms of the two men involved, if not in terms of how the match actually played out. I was more expecting a rematch of the Men's Final in the two previous years, with Nadal facing Austrian Dominic Thiem. But he got knocked out by Argentinian  Diego Schwartzman, who in turn got knocked out in straight sets by Nadal in the semifinal. Novak Djokovic emerged from the other men's draw, and that is how we had a battle between the world number one and the world number two.

Indeed, Nadal and Djokovic have one of the all-time great rivalries in the sport. This was their 56th overall meeting, with Djokovic leading the rivalry, 29-27. It was also their 16th meeting at a Grand Slam event, with Nadal leading the rivalry, 10-6. It was their ninth time meeting at a Grand Slam final, with Nadal now breaking the tie to lead in these meetings, 5-4. Of course, Nadal's specialty is clay, and these two have met at the French Open now eight times, with Nadal leading that part of the rivalry, 7-1. This was their third time meeting at the French Open final match, and Nadal has won all three of those meetings. In fact, Nadal has a perfect, unblemished record in both the semifinals and finals here at Roland Garros. He has reached both the semifinal round as well as the Men's Final 13 times, and has astonishingly won every single match at that level here in Paris.

This was Nadal's 20th overall Grand Slam. He has now tied Roger Federer for the most career Grand Slam championships, as both men now share that record. His first Grand Slam title came in 2005, when he won his first French Open as a teenager, as he was only 19. Nadal set a new record with 15 years since his first Grand Slam win to his most recent, and is one of only two men, I believe, who won Grand Slam titles in his teens, twenties, and thirties (Pete Sampras being the other one). Nadal holds the record for consecutive years with at least one Grand Slam title in each calendar year, when he won at least one slam title for ten years in a row, from 2005 until 2014. He now also has won at least one Grand Slam title in each of the past four years.

With his 13th French Open title safely captured now, Nadal holds the all-time record, among both men and women, for most career titles at any one tournament. He overtook Martina Navratilova, who won 12 Virginia Slims titles in Chicago between 1978 and 1992. Additionally, Nadal now has reached triple digits in a Grand Slam event, the French Open. His win yesterday improved his overall career record at this tournament to 100-2. Only Roger Soderling (fourth round) in 2009 and Novak Djokovic (quarterfinal) in 2015 ever managed to defeat Nadal at Roland Garros. Only one other man has ever accumulated triple digits at a Grand Slam event, with Roger Federer having done it at both Wimbledon (102 career wins) and the Australian Open (101 career wins). 

Pretty stunning stuff, as Nadal continues to solidify his legacy as one of the greatest and most decorated tennis players in history, and the greatest ever on clay courts, by far.

If the men's side was an example of continuity and consistency, with two familiar faces reaching the final, and the most familiar face ultimately winning it again, then the women's side proved more unconventional. There, Iga Świątek became the first Polish Grand Slam champion, even though she is only 19. 

Świątek defeated American Sofia Kenin in straight sets in the Women's Final on Saturday 6-4, 6-1, to become the first person from Poland to ever win a Grand Slam title. My Polish girlfriend was celebrating, as was all of Poland over the weekend. Obviously, this was Świątek's first ever Grand Slam title. Somehow, however, you get the feeling that it will not be her last.