We will quickly learn how a lot of what occurred Sunday on the Italian Open was foreshadowing.
The essential draw for the French Open, the one Grand Slam match performed on clay courts, begins in every week. But Iga Swiatek’s and Novak Djokovic’s decisive victories in Rome definitely solidified two key themes heading into Paris.
Swiatek continues to look irresistible, and Djokovic now appears totally revitalized.
Both are ranked No. 1 in singles and enjoying prefer it. Neither dropped a set on the best way to their Italian Open titles, and each polished off their runs convincingly in opposition to Top 10 gamers in Sunday’s finals. Swiatek defeated Ons Jabeur, 6-2, 6-2, to cease Jabeur’s 11-match profitable streak and prolong her personal to twenty-eight. Djokovic adopted her lead, defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas, 6-0, 7-6 (5).
Swiatek and Djokovic are at reverse poles of their careers.
Poland’s Iga Swiatek celebrates after profitable the ultimate match in opposition to Turkey’s Ons Jabeur on the Italian Open tennis match, in Rome, Sunday, May 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Swiatek, 20, is simply now harnessing the complete pressure of her hard-charging energy recreation, greedy that she may be not solely a serial champion but in addition an intimidator as she crowds the opposition together with her heavy-topspin forehand and acrobatic, tight-to-the-baseline protection.
Djokovic, who will flip 35 on the opening day of Roland Garros, established himself years in the past as one of many recreation’s best gamers. He is the oldest man to win the Italian Open in singles within the Open period: barely older than his longtime rival Rafael Nadal was when he beat Djokovic to win the title at 34 final 12 months.
Djokovic has endured lengthy sufficient that he was not the one Djokovic enjoying for a title Sunday. While he was prevailing in Rome, his 7-year-old son, Stefan, was profitable the title at his debut match at a membership within the Serbian capital of Belgrade.
“I just received that news: a sunshine double today,” Djokovic mentioned with certainly one of his largest smiles of the week.
Serbia’s Novak Djokovic kisses the trophy after profitable the ultimate match in opposition to Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas on the Italian Open tennis match, in Rome, Sunday, May 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
I discussed to Djokovic that it has been mentioned that the one factor extra mentally difficult than being a tennis participant is being a tennis mum or dad.
“Not a single day have I told him you have to do this; it’s really purely his own desire to step on the court,” Djokovic mentioned. “He’s really in love with the sport. Last night, when I spoke to him, he was up till late. He was showing me forehand and backhands, how he’s going to move tomorrow, kind of shadowing, playing shadow tennis without a racket. It was so funny to see that. I used to do that when I was a kid. I could see the joy in him, the pure emotion and love for the game.”
Djokovic, like his career-long reference factors Nadal and Roger Federer, has underscored his ardour with long-running excellence and by persistently ignoring the hints that his peak years is perhaps behind him.
For Djokovic, this has been a season and a problem like no different: His choice to stay unvaccinated in opposition to the coronavirus led to a standoff with Australian authorities that ended along with his deportation on the eve of this 12 months’s Australian Open, and it stored him out of the Masters 1000 occasions in Indian Wells, California, and Miami Gardens, Florida, in March.
But with the well being protocols now relaxed in Europe, Djokovic returned to common motion on clay final month. Although he struggled in his preliminary matches along with his timing and his endurance, he has slowly however convincingly resumed hitting his targets, and he has gathered momentum simply in time for Roland Garros.
“I always try to use these kinds of situations and adversity in my favor to fuel me for the next challenge,” he mentioned of Australia. “As much as I’ve felt pressure in my life and my career, that was something really on a whole different level. But I feel it’s already behind me. I feel great on the court. Mentally as well, I’m fresh. I’m sharp.”
Against Tsitsipas, a hirsute Greek star who pushed Djokovic to 5 units earlier than shedding final 12 months’s French Open closing, Djokovic managed many of the baseline rallies with as a lot persistence as panache. When Tsitsipas didn’t serve out the second set, Djokovic proved the extra dependable pressure within the tiebreaker, completely content material, it appeared, to attend for Tsitsipas to crack.
“To some extent, it’s a relief because after everything that happened at the beginning of the year, it was important for me to win a big title,” Djokovic mentioned.
Since Swiatek’s profitable streak started in February, she has misplaced simply 5 units and got here genuinely near shedding a set solely as soon as in Rome, prevailing over 2019 U.S. Open champion Bianca Andreescu in a first-set tiebreaker within the quarterfinals earlier than closing her out, 6-0.
Jabeur, a tactic-shuffling Tunisian, received the title in Madrid on clay this month in Swiatek’s absence. But Sunday represented an enormous step up as Swiatek not solely hunted down most of Jabeur’s trademark drop photographs but in addition dealt firmly with most of Jabeur’s full-force bolts into the corners.
There was not a lot real hazard, however when it surfaced, Swiatek was ready. Up 4-2 within the second set however down 0-40 on her serve, Swiatek saved three break factors with winners, after which saved a fourth with a backhand drop volley to cap a full-court change.
She was quickly sobbing on the clay behind the baseline after securing her fifth consecutive title. Clearly, profitable is extra taxing than Swiatek is making it look, however after wiping away the tears, she was again to grinning within the Roman sunshine and holding up yet one more trophy to go together with these received in Doha, Qatar; Indian Wells; Miami Gardens; and Stuttgart, Germany.
“Today, I’m going to celebrate with a lot of tiramisu, no regrets,” she mentioned, immediately way more relatable than when she was pounding the opposition into clay mud.
It will come as no shock if one other candy end awaits in Paris.
This article initially appeared in The New York Times.
