Paris Masters 2020: Rafael Nadal Upset by Alexander Zverev in Semifinal Showdown
Nov 7, 2020
Germany's Alexander Zverev reacts after winning his semi-final game against Spain's Rafael Nadal at the Paris Masters tennis tournament in Paris, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev advanced to the 2020 Paris Masters men's championship match with victories Saturday at Accor Arena in France.
Medvedev defeated Milos Raonic in a tight straight-sets encounter in the first semifinal. Zverev upset Rafael Nadal in a similarly hard-fought second semifinal.
Let's take a closer look at all of the important details from Saturday's action in Paris.
Saturday's Results
(4) Alexander Zverev d. (1) Rafael Nadal; 6-4, 7-5
(3) Daniil Medvedev d. (10) Milos Raonic; 6-4, 7-6 (4)
Championship Schedule
(3) Daniil Medvedev vs. (4) Alexander Zverev
Time: Sunday at 9 a.m. ET
Semifinal Recap
The clash between Medvedev and Raonic came down to break-point opportunities.
Raonic had seven break chances, including three in a game with his third-seeded Russian opponent serving down 3-4 in the second set that could have changed the course of the match, but he converted just one.
By contrast, Medvedev broke his Canadian counterpart twice in three opportunities and won his first two points on the return in the second-set tiebreaker en route to the victory.
It wasn't the cleanest match from Medvedev, who finished with seven aces and three double faults compared to a 12-1 ratio for Raonic. He played better on the crucial points, though.
He's heading for his fourth final in a Masters 1000 tournament. He won the Cincinnati Masters and Shanghai Masters in 2019. The Shanghai triumph came over Zverev.
Daniil Medvedev vs Alexander Zverev for the Paris title, one of them will get it for the first time.
Bercy still one of the few big events that Nadal never won. Not sure he will ever get a better chance. Needs to step up in London as well.
The 23-year-old German was dominant with his serve to set up that meeting with Medvedev.
Zverev racked up 13 aces with just one double fault while winning a total of 71.7 percent of the points on his serve. Those numbers would be tremendous regardless of the opponent, but to post them against an elite defensive player like Nadal is extraordinary.
He's 3-3 in previous Masters finals, with his most recent win coming in the 2018 Madrid Open. He holds a 5-1 head-to-head advantage over Medvedev, with the only loss coming in the Shanghai final.
Paris Masters 2020: Rafael Nadal, Daniil Medvedev Nab Quarterfinal Wins Friday
Nov 6, 2020
Spain's Rafael Nadal returns to compatriot Pablo Carreno Busta during their quarter-final game of the Paris Masters tennis tournament at the Bercy Arena in Paris, Friday, Nov. 6, 2020. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
The semifinals at the 2020 Paris Masters are set after Friday's four matches, headlined by Rafael Nadal's victory in a tough test from Pablo Carreno Busta for his 10th consecutive victory overall.
Nadal is one of the most decorated players in tennis history, but he's chasing his first career win in this tournament. He hasn't reached the final since 2007, when he lost to David Nalbandian.
Each of the four players still vying for a win at AccorHotels Arena is a top-10 seed.
Here's a look at what happened in the quarterfinals and Saturday's semifinal schedule.
2020 Paris Masters Results - Friday, Nov. 6
No. 1 Rafael Nadal def. No. 9 Pablo Carreno Busta 4-6, 7-5, 6-1
Nadal has been tested through his first three matches at the Paris Masters. He dropped the first set and needed a tiebreaker in the second to beat Feliciano Lopez in the round of 32.
Busta also had Nadal on the ropes early by taking the first set, but the 34-year-old came back in the final two sets to earn the 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 win.
Nadal has put his pinpoint accuracy on display throughout the tournament. That was the case once again on Friday, as he was seemingly able to place the ball in the exact right spot down the sideline so Busta's racket couldn't get to it.
Waiting for Nadal in the semifinals is Alexander Zverev. The German ended Stan Wawrinka's quest to win his first tournament since 2017 with a 6-3, 7-6(1) victory.
As has been the case throughout the tournament, Zverev's powerful serve proved to be formidable. He had eight aces and won 80 percent of his first-serve points. The 23-year-old has been good at limiting his mistakes all tournament, with just two double-faults Friday and a total of five in three matches this week.
Zverev will be facing his most difficult test in Paris on Saturday. He's lost five of six career matches against Nadal, though his win did come in their most recent meeting at the Nitto ATP Finals in November 2019.
The match of the day saw Milos Raonic save two match points in the third set, including one rally that took 30 shots, to end Ugo Humbert's surprise run. The Canadian also trailed 1-5 in the final set to send the match to a tiebreak.
Raonic got the win on the strength of 25 aces, his highest single-round total of the tournament. He is still alive as he looks to end his nearly five-year winless streak dating back to the ATP Brisbane International in January 2016.
Humbert, 22, put together a terrific run coming off his impressive win at the European Open two weeks ago. He sent No. 2 Stefanos Tsitsipas home in the second round and came close to reaching the semifinal before Raonic found his rhythm.
Standing in Raonic's way is third-seeded Daniil Medvedev. The 24-year-old Russian has had a disappointing season after winning seven tournaments in the previous two years combined and reaching the U.S. Open final in 2019.
The Paris Masters is Medvedev's last chance to get a win in 2020. He's gotten the best of Raonic in their two previous matches.
Paris Masters 2020: Rafael Nadal's Straight-Sets Win Headlines Thursday Results
Nov 5, 2020
Spain's Rafael Nadal returns the ball to Australia's Jordan Thompson during the third round of the Paris Masters tennis tournament at the Bercy Arena in Paris, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2020. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
The 2020 Paris Masters tournament is nearing the finish line, with Thursday's matches determining the final eight men who will be competing for a championship.
Rafael Nadal, the No. 1 seed, got back on track with an impressive win over Jordan Thompson after some early struggles against Feliciano Lopez in the second round.
Four of the top five seeds are still in the running. No. 2 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas is the only one not playing after his second-round loss to Ugo Humbert.
2020 Paris Masters Results - Thursday, Nov. 5
No. 1 Rafael Nadal def. Jordan Thompson 6-1, 7-6(3)
No. 3 Daniil Medvedev def. No. 16 Alex De Minaur 5-7, 6-2, 6-2
No. 4 Alexander Zverev def. Adrian Mannarino 7-6 (13-11), 6-7 (7-9), 6-4
No. 4 Alexander Zverev vs. Andrey Rublev/Stan Wawrinka winner
No. 10 Milos Raonic vs. Ugo Humbert
Recap
Nadal stormed out of the gate against Thompson, winning the first set in seven games. Things were much closer in the second set with Thompson able to force a tiebreak, but an unforced error gave Nadal match point.
Both players looked sloppy at times in the match. Nadal had as many aces as double-faults (three), but he was able to overcome it thanks to an excellent return game. He was able to break Thompson's serve down 6-5 in the second to force the tiebreak.
Nadal was especially effective around the T with 16 service points won at that spot on the court. The win sets him up for a showdown with ninth-seeded Pablo Carreno Busta.
"It'll be a tough one, he has been playing very well," Nadal told reporters about Busta. "But we're in the quarter-finals of a Masters 1,000 so you can't expect any other thing."
Busta has been rolling through the tournament thus far. The 29-year-old has yet to drop a set in three matches, including a 7-5, 6-2 win over Norbert Gombos on Thursday. The quarterfinal will be his first match against a ranked opponent.
Nadal is a perfect 6-0 head-to-head against Busta in their head-to-head matches, including a 6-1, 6-1 victory in September at the Italian Open.
In the match of the day, Alexander Zverev held off Adrian Mannarino in a three-set marathon that lasted three hours and featured two tiebreakers in the first two sets. Zverev wound up holding on for the 7-6 (13-11), 6-7 (7-9), 6-4 win and a spot in the quarterfinals.
The statistical comparison between Zverev and Mannarino was nearly as close as each set. The German star had an advantage in second-serve points won (35-19) and took advantage of seven double-faults by Mannarino.
Zverev's serve also served him well throughout the victory. He finished with 19 aces, including two straight in the final game to seal the victory. A win this weekend will give the 23-year-old his third consecutive tournament victory.
Daniil Medvedev had a fight on his hands against Alex De Minaur after dropping the first set. The 24-year-old was playing his first full match of the tournament. Kevin Anderson had to retire late in the first set against Medvedev when it was tied 6-6.
Taking on De Minaur, Medvedev was excellent on serve with 13 aces and showed pinpoint accuracy with his backhand.
Since making a run to the semifinals of the U.S. Open, Medvedev lost four of his next seven matches leading into the Paris Masters. He's had a disappointing season after winning a career-high four singles titles in 2019.
Standing in Medvedev's path during the quarterfinals will be Diego Schwartzman, who has been cruising through two matches this week. He breezed past Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, dropping just two games total in a 6-1, 6-1 win.
Schwartzman has been flirting with his first victory of the season in recent tournaments. The 28-year-old made it to the French Open semifinal before losing to Nadal and the bett1HULKS Championships final last week until Zverev defeated him.
Paris Masters 2020: Rafael Nadal's 3-Set Win Highlights Wednesday's Results
Nov 4, 2020
Spain's Rafael Nadal returns to compatriot Feliciano Lopez during the second round of the Paris Masters tennis tournament at the Bercy Arena in Paris, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Wednesday was a marquee day at the 2020 Paris Masters with No. 1 seed Rafael Nadal making his first appearance of the tournament.
Nadal returned to the court three weeks after winning the French Open. He won each of his seven matches at Roland Garros in straight sets, including defeating top-seeded Novak Djokovic in the final.
The path for Nadal to win this event for the first time in his career opened up with No. 2 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas being upset on Tuesday by Ugo Humbert. The Spanish star showed some rust against Feliciano Lopez, dropping the first set and surviving a second-set tiebreak to avoid an early exit.
2020 Paris Masters Results - Wednesday, Nov. 4
No. 1 Rafael Nadal def. Feliciano Lopez 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4
No. 3 Daniil Medvedev def. Kevin Anderson 6-6 (Retired)
No. 4 Alexander Zverev def. Miomir Kecmanovic 6-2, 6-2
Coming out of the gate with a match against Lopez seemed like a difficult draw for Nadal. Lopez won the last two matches against his fellow countryman, though this was their first head-to-head meeting since 2015.
Lopez was on point in the first set with eight aces. He went 14-of-15 on first-serve points and had a 144 return rating, compared to 57 for Nadal.
Things started to turn around for Nadal in the second set. He rebounded with nine aces, zero double-faults and showed off his quick-twitch reflexes when Lopez tried to sneak a return shot past him.
The service game remained an advantage for Nadal in the third set. The 13-time French Open champion converted his lone break-point opportunity and saved the two break-point chances Lopez had against him.
Nadal became the fourth player in the Open Era to reach 1,000 career match victories on the ATP Tour.
No. 3 seed Daniil Medvedev also made his tournament debut on Wednesday. He didn't spend much time on the court because Kevin Anderson was forced to retire late in the first set with an undisclosed injury.
Anderson defeated Medvedev when they met in the quarterfinals of the Erste Bank Open last week. This marks the Russian's first appearance in the third round at the Paris Masters in his career.
After reaching the French Open semifinals for the first time in his career, Diego Schwartzman overcame a slow start to knock off Richard Gasquet in his first match of the week.
Gasquet's serve was working against him on Wednesday. The 34-year-old had his serve broken in the final game of the first set, putting him in a hole that he was unable to dig out of. He also finished the match with three double-faults to give Schwartzman easy points.
Another player who had little trouble in his first match of the tournament was Alexander Zverev. The No. 4 seed lost a total of four games in his 6-2, 6-2 win over Miomir Kecmanovic that took 55 minutes.
Zverev arrived in France coming off back-to-back victories in Germany before coming to France. He finished with eight aces against Kecmanovic.
Milos Raonic is off to a hot start after getting his second consecutive straight-set win. He sent Pierre-Hugues Herbert home after a 6-4, 6-4 victory. The 29-year-old is looking for his first career win in this tournament after previously reaching the final in 2014.
Raonic continues to dominate his opponents on serve. After hitting 18 aces in the first round against Aljaz Bedene, he racked up 11 more on Wednesday against Herbert. He hit 66 percent of his first serves in and won 89 percent of first-serve points.
No. 12 seed Stan Wawrinka had a rough start, dropping the first set to American Tommy Paul and going to a tiebreak in the second. He stepped up to win the second set, gaining the momentum needed to win the third with ease.
Wawrinka saved 11 of 16 break points in a sloppy match, but he did enough to advance to the round of 16.
French Open 2020 Men's Finals: Results, Stats for Djokovic vs. Nadal
Oct 12, 2020
Spain's Rafael Nadal bites the trophy as he celebrates winning the final match of the French Open tennis tournament against Serbia's Novak Djokovic in three sets, 6-0, 6-2, 7-5, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2020. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Rafael Nadal finished off the 2020 Grand Slam season with one of the most dominant performances of his career on his favorite surface.
The Spaniard claimed his 13th French Open title with a straight-sets win over Novak Djokovic, who had not lost a completed match in 2020 before Sunday.
Nadal established his dominance right away in the 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 victory under the closed roof at Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Nadal won more points on first serve, second serve, service breaks and returning games than Djokovic in the first set, dominating in all categories by a margin of 20 percentage points or more.
Djokovic slightly improved in the second set, but Nadal still overpowered him with his 20th-career Grand Slam title in sight.
The southpaw did not allow a single break-point opportunity in the second set and finished off two of the eight break chances he earned off Djokovic.
Nadal was far cleaner with his shots all match, but the disparity between winners and unforced errors was stark in the middle set. The Spaniard hit 11 winners and four unforced errors compared to 14 winners and 17 unforced errors out of his opponent.
Nadal faced more of a challenge to finish off his 100th-career win on the Paris clay, as Djokovic won five games in the last set.
The threat posed by Djokovic in the back end of the third set led Nadal to say that he played incredible tennis for a two-and-a-half sets, per ATPTour.com:
"I played at an amazing level of tennis. For two-sets-and-a-half sets I played great. I can't say another thing. It’s impossible to have this score against him without playing great. I played a very good final. I played at my highest level when I needed to play at my highest level, so [it’s] something that I am very proud of."
Nadal avoided a third-set tiebreak by capturing the final three games of the third set, and he finished the match with an ace from left to right.
Djokovic said he was impressed with the way Nadal extended his Roland Garros dominance, per ATPTour.com.
"He was not missing at all and getting every ball back, just playing tactically great. I felt well throughout the entire tournament. I thought I was in great form. Certainly, I could have played better, especially in the first two sets. But he did surprise me with the way he was playing, the quality of tennis he was producing, the level. He's phenomenal. He played a perfect match, especially in the first two sets."
Nadal now has a four-year winning streak at Roland-Garros, and only three others players have taken the men's singles final in France since his reign began in 2005. Roger Federer won in 2009, Stan Wawrinka captured the crown in 2015 and Djokovic won his lone clay-court major in 2016.
Sunday's victory brought Nadal level with Federer for the most Grand Slam singles titles won by a male player.
Djokovic is now three titles behind the other members of the "Big Three," but he could close the gap at the 2021 Australian Open since he has won four of the last six majors down under.
French Open 2020 Men's Final: Early Predictions for Rafael Nadal in 2021
Oct 11, 2020
Spain's Rafael Nadal bites the trophy as he celebrates winning the final match of the French Open tennis tournament against Serbia's Novak Djokovic in three sets, 6-0, 6-2, 7-5, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2020. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Back in May, Rafael Nadal said he believed the 2020 tennis season was "practically lost" due to the coronavirus pandemic. The ATP Tour had been paused for more than two months, and ATP and World Tennis Association events were suspended until July. Wimbledon was canceled, and the French Open was pushed back.
"I would sign up right now just to being ready for 2021," he told reporters. "I'm more concerned with the Australian Open than with what happens later this year. I think 2020 has been practically lost. I'm hopeful of being able to start next year."
The Spaniard would likely reverse that take now after his outing at the French Open.
Nadal won his 13th French Open over top-ranked Novak Djokovic on Sunday, earning his 20th Grand Slam singles victory to tie Roger Federer for the all-time record. Djokovic is not far behind with 17 major wins.
Records are meant to be broken, it's true, but no man is breaking Nadal's record at Roland Garros.
Whatever the final number, it will be preserved for eternity, or at least until the sun goes out#gettypic.twitter.com/q5v3KMaTkv
— Christopher Clarey 🇺🇸 🇫🇷 🇪🇸 (@christophclarey) October 11, 2020
"I have always had the utmost respect for my friend Rafa as a person and as a champion," Federer wrote on Twitter, congratulating Nadal for tying his record. "As my greatest rival over many years, I believe we have pushed each other to become better players."
Federer's 2020 season ended early when he underwent knee surgery, but he plans to return in time for the 2021 campaign. If he does, it will set up yet another battle between the top three men's players in the world, and will certainly complicate Nadal's—or Djokovic's—journey to his record.
Federer hasn't won a major since his record-setting Australian Open victory in 2018, when he tied the then-all-time record that was held by Djokovic and Roy Emerson before Djokovic earned his seventh title there in 2019. Federer was ranked No. 1 in the world in 2018 before Nadal took it over with an Italian Open win. That year, he also fell to Djokovic in straight sets at Cincinnati and lost to him again at the Paris Masters.
Nadal controlled much of Federer's 2019 season, when he ousted him in the French Open semifinals before Federer defeated him at Wimbledon in their first meeting there since 2008, setting up a five-round final loss at Wimbledon to Djokovic.
After Federer earned his first win over Djokovic since 2015 in the 2019 ATP Finals, he fell in the 2020 Australian Open semifinals, where he sustained his season-ending injury.
With the tennis world's Big Three slated to be back in action in 2020, Nadal will be on pace to continue his greatness but not without the pressure from having both his rivals back in action.
French Open Prize Money 2020: Updated Purse Payout for Roland Garros
Oct 11, 2020
Spain's Rafael Nadal celebrates winning the final match of the French Open tennis tournament against Serbia's Novak Djokovic in three sets, 6-0, 6-2, 7-5, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2020. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Rafael Nadal has had too many great moments at the French Open to count. This one may have been his best.
Nadal destroyed Novak Djokovic in a 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 romp in Sunday's French Open final, taking home his record 13th championship at Roland Garros and tying Roger Federer for the most Grand Slam championships in tennis history.
"What you're doing on this court is unbelievable," Djokovic said to Nadal on the court after the match. "Not just on this court, throughout your entire career you've been a great champion and today you showed why you’re King of the Clay. I've experienced it on my own skin."
The Spaniard will take home a $1.9 million purse for his victory, with Djokovic bringing in $941,296. Darren Rovell of The Action Network had updated career earnings for Nadal, Federer and Djokovic.
Career On-Court Earnings (UPDATED):
1. Novak Djokovic, $145,165,221 2. Roger Federer, $129,946,683 3. Rafael Nadal, $122,937,694
While most favored Nadal in the hyped head-to-head, no one expected the straight evisceration that played out. Nadal knocked Djokovic out of sync from the opening game, with the Serb losing 6-0 in a Grand Slam final for the first time in his career.
The momentum never even came close to shifting in Djokovic's favor. He broke Nadal just once in five opportunities while giving up seven breaks on 18 chances of his own.
It was a quintessentially dominant performance from Nadal, making the world's top-ranked player look like no tougher test than a first-round opponent.
Djokovic entered the final putting together one of the more impressive runs of tennis in recent history. He entered with a 37-1 overall record for the season, with that one loss coming via default at the U.S. Open when he struck a line judge with a ball.
This was as flummoxed as we've ever seen Djokovic on a Grand Slam stage. His serve looked out of sorts, and Nadal took advantage of a bevy of Djokovic unforced errors.
The 34-year-old Nadal has won an astounding five more French Opens than anyone else in history and more than double anyone in the Open Era.
There may be no better person at the history of any sport than Nadal on clay.
Roger Federer Praises Rafael Nadal on 2020 French Open Win: 'You Deserve It'
Oct 11, 2020
Roger Federer, right, and Rafael Nadal embrace after the final point of their exhibition tennis match held at the Cape Town Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa, Friday Feb. 7, 2020. (AP Photo/Halden Krog)
After Rafael Nadal earned his record-tying 20th Grand Slam title with a French Open win over Novak Djokovic on Sunday, his fellow record holder Roger Federer took to Twitter to congratulate him.
"I have always had the utmost respect for my friend Rafa as a person and as a champion," wrote Federer, who also holds 20 Grand Slam victories. "As my greatest rival over many years, I believe we have pushed each other to become better players."
Federer also noted Nadal's 13 victories at Roland Garros before offering congratulations to his team.
"I hope 20 is just another step on the continuing journey for both of us," he wrote. "Well done, Rafa. You deserve it."
Nadal's 20th victory was a meeting of two of the biggest stars in the sport. Nadal, ranked No. 2 in the world, fell to the top-ranked Djokovic when the pair met in the finals of the 2019 Australian Open, their last finals meeting, before defeating him in straight sets (6-0, 6-2, 7-5) Sunday to deny the Serbian his 18th Grand Slam victory.
At 34, Nadal became the oldest winner of the French Open since 1972 and has been championing the sport since 2005, when he earned his first win at Roland Garros. He holds the longest span of Grand Slam titles, with 15 years between his first win and most recent, perUSA Today's Jimmy Hascup.
Federer'sseason ended earlywhen he had knee surgery earlier this year, but the 39-year-old plans to return in 2021.
However, Nadal is not concerned with becoming the greatest player of all time. Back in May, he told La Voz de Galicia, a Spanish newspaper, that he "doesn't obsess" over Federer's record, or the possibility of Djokovic overtaking him (h/t the New York Times).
"One has to be satisfied with what one does. And this is what I have done throughout my career, and I am very satisfied for that. Even if Federer or Djokovic finishes with more Grand Slams than me, it won't affect my happiness 10 years from now."
French Open 2020 Results: Men's Final Score and Predictions for Australian Open
Oct 11, 2020
Spain's Rafael Nadal serves against Serbia's Novak Djokovic in the final match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2020. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
The three titans of men's tennis finished 2020 with two of the year's three Grand Slam titles.
Rafael Nadal won his fourth straight and 13th overall French Open crown Sunday over 2020 Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic, 6-0, 6-2, 7-5.
Nadal's victory at Roland Garros put him on level terms with Roger Federer for the most majors won by a single man.
Federer did not participate at the French Open or U.S. Open, but he was a semifinalist at the Australian Open back in January.
If all three players are healthy by the turn of the calendar, they should head to Melbourne, Australia, as three of the favorites to capture that title.
Since Federer captured his first Grand Slam win at Wimbledon in 2003, only nine players outside the big three have won major titles. The most likely disruptor to the dominance of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic is Dominic Thiem, who became the first player to win his first Grand Slam title since 2014 at the U.S. Open.
Thiem appeared in the 2018 and 2019 French Open finals against Nadal and tested Djokovic over five sets in the 2020 Australian Open championship match.
Now that he has a major crown on his resume, Thiem may play a bit looser in the upcoming majors since he does not have the pressure of winning his first Grand Slam hanging over him again.
There is a small list of challengers beneath the Big Three and Thiem, but none of them have been consistent enough at majors to be considered a threat.
Alexander Zverev reached his first two major semifinals in 2020, but he did not play Federer, Djokovic or Nadal in those matches.
Zverev lost in four sets to Thiem at the semifinal stage in Australia and battled through a five-set semifinal win over Pablo Carreno Busta just to get to the U.S. Open final, where he failed to finish off Thiem after winning the first two sets.
Daniil Medvedev advanced to back-to-back semifinals at the U.S. Open, and he took second behind Nadal in New York in 2019, but he has not been effective at the other three majors.
The Russian has not made it past the fourth round in Australia, the third round at Wimbledon and has never won a French Open match. Until Medvedev proves he can be more consistent across all majors, he should not be favored above the small group of Grand Slam winners entered in each field.
If the Australian Open comes down to some combination of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer, the Serbian may be considered the favorite to win.
Djokovic owns three of the last five Australian Open titles and has appeared in seven championship matches in the hard court majors during that span.
Australian Open Prediction: Novak Djokovic.
French Open 2020: Men's Final Winner, Score and Twitter Reaction
Oct 11, 2020
Spain's Rafael Nadal celebrates winning the final match of the French Open tennis tournament against Serbia's Novak Djokovic in three sets, 6-0, 6-2, 7-5, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2020. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Rafael Nadal turned in one of his most dominant performances of his career at Roland Garros on Sunday to take the French Open men's singles title over Novak Djokovic.
Nadal swept Djokovic in straight sets, 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 to win his 13th French Open title and tie Roger Federer for the most Grand Slam singles titles won by a single man with 20.
The victory was the 100th on the Paris clay for Nadal, who has a remarkable set of records at the tournament, per ATP Media Info:
By the Numbers: @RafaelNadal at #RolandGarros 1,938-969 Games (.667) 299-27 Sets (.917) 100-2 Matches (.980) 39-Match Win Streak (2010-15) 38-Set Win Streak (2016-18) 31-0 to Begin Career 27-1 vs Top 10 26-0 SF-F 20 Sets 6-0 7-1 vs No. 1 4 Titles with 0 Sets Lost 2-0 in 5th Sets
Nadal moved his overall record against Djokovic on clay to 18-7 and he is 7-1 against the Serbian at Roland Garros.
Nadal won the tournament without dropping a single set, which was the same path followed by first-time Grand Slam winner Iga Swiatek in the women's singles draw.
The 34-year-old Spaniard has won the last four French Open crowns, and Djokovic is the third different opponent he has beaten in that run. Dominic Thiem and Stan Wawrinka are the others.
Nadal opened the match with one of the most dominant sets he has even produced on the Paris clay.
For the second time in 13 French Open finals, Nadal shut out an opponent in a set. The other time he did so was in the third set of the 2008 final against Roger Federer.
Nadal's first-set performance was even more stunning since a 6-0 set has rarely happened in the 56 meetings between the Spaniard and Djokovic.
NBC Sports' Nick Zaccardi pointed out that there was one other 6-0 set in the head-to-head history, which Nadal earned at the 2019 Italian Open:
Nadal and Djokovic have played 146 completed sets together. This is the second 6-0 set in the history of their rivalry, the most prolific in men's Open Era tennis. (Nadal, 2019 Italian Open)
The scoreless set out of Djokovic marked the first time he failed to win a game in a single set in a Grand Slam final, per Christopher Clarey of the New York Times:
Novak Djokovic had never lost a set 6-0 in a Grand Slam final
The two-set dominance from Nadal was nothing short of stunning since Djokovic had not been beaten in a match that went into the second set all year, as Ben Rothenberg of the New York Times pointed out:
A reminder that Novak Djokovic hasn't lost a match that reached a second set all year.
Not only is he losing today, he's getting utterly stomped.
Nadal at Roland Garros is great, we all know, but this is a shocking, shocking scoreline.#RG20
Djokovic did not make it to the second set in the fourth round of the U.S. Open since he was disqualified for striking an umpire with a ball.
The No. 1 seed put up much more of a fight in the third set, as he took five games off Nadal, but he slipped up in the 11th game of the set and allowed the Spaniard to earn a crucial break.
Nadal took advantage of that break by finished off his 13th French Open victory with a perfect service game that ended on an ace.
