Game of Thrones: Roland Garros Edition

It might not be too long before Rafa Nadal isn't looking up at anyone. At all.



There were no "Game of Thrones" swords, battle axes or giants crushing a man's skull with his bare hands in the Roland Garros men's final, but there was enough to make George R.R. Martin, if not proud, at least nodding his head in approval.


I mean, we had Novak Djokovic's vomiting and looking ill down the stretch, but also seemingly within a few points of turning around the match in the 4th set. The Serb was in search of not only a return to the #1 ranking, but also an elusive Career Grand Slam. For a fleeting moment, it looked as if it might happen, too, as Nadal either blinked and felt the moment, as he admitted, or was slowed down by a twinge in his ailing back, which he didn't admit (even if not admitting an injury might qualify as a first for the Spaniard) as he continued down his path toward not-so-quietly building a Greatest of All-Time case for himself with his fourteenth career grand slam victory today. The win ties Nadal with Pete Sampras on the career ATP list, and he's just fifty-eight days older than all-time leader (w/ 17) Roger Federer was when he won his own #14 major title in Paris in 2009.

You remember THAT Roland Garros. It was the ONE that Nadal hasn't won over the last decade, courtesy of an upset at the hands of Swede Robin Soderling (who, by the way, currently seems to be considering messing with his "legacy" by whispering of a possible comeback from his three-year absence following a severe bout with mono). I'm just sayin'... it's a little eerie. In a way.

What was also eerie about today's Roland Garros men's final was how history threatened to change on the slightest twists and turns. In the 1st set, Djokovic came out playing well in his third match-up against Nadal in their past three trips to Paris, looking to finally get his first RG win over the Spaniard after putting up a 4-2 record against him on clay in their last six non-RG match-ups on the surface. The Serb's inside-out forehand winner gave him a chance to serve out the opening set. After saving a break point, an opposite court forehand forced a Nadal long error and the set was his at 6-3. In the 2nd, Djokovic threatened to go up two sets to none, staying on serve mid-way through. But after failing to secure a game point, he was broken by Nadal to fall behind 4-2. He got the break back a game later, only to get broken in the final game of the set to lose it 7-5.

By the time the 4th set was half-way finished, a less-than-100% Djokovic had experienced stomach upset in the oppressive heat, not helped by the grinding nature of any match-up with Nadal, and seemed to be THIS CLOSE to giving in to the inevitable: Nadal winning a fifth straight RG crown, and his ninth title there in his career. In the sixth game of the set, the Serb seemed in control of his service game, only to see it crumble in the matter of a minute or two around his ankles. Nadal got the break to go up 4-2, and it seemed smart for the crowd to make dinner reservations for the night in Paris.

But then Nadal flinched, whether it was because of the moment or his back, it doesn't really matter. What did matter was that a double-fault put him down 15/30. Rafa grimaced and gritted his teeth. After badly missing an overhead from the backcourt, he seemed to hunch over in some pain. Djojkovic got the break to get to 4-3, and suddenly the Serb's history of reaching into the jaws of defeat and pulling out a victory were resurrected. If Nadal lost the set, what would he have left for the 5th? What would Djokovic, who'd already (literally) left part of himself all over the terre battue. The rest of the set was a dirty, grimy affair filled with dread and the threat of violence, or at least as close to it as we get on the tennis court when two straight-up monster competitors dig in and battle each other in another of their not-graceful-but-always-crazy-intense matches.

With the Spaniard seemingly on the edge of a potential disaster, Djokovic got to deuce on Nadal's serve. After one point, Nadal's foot slipped out from under him and he nearly hyper-extended his knee. Meanwhile, Djokovic, like a caged tiger, waited to return serve. But Nadal found his game again, pulling things together to hold for 5-4 as the match clock ticked to 3:30. Seeing the finish line, Rafa got a second wind.

Djokovic went up 30/love on serve, but Nadal's backhand passing shot -- off his back foot while positioned behind the baseline -- got things even at 30-all. As Nadal's feet, nestled in special shoes with "8" on the heel, restlessly looked for a chance to explode toward a ball, it was apparent that Rafa was suddenly "right" again. Djokovic knew it, too. Normally, that'd be a challenge he'd savor... but, in his current condition, he didn't seem to relish the notion quite as much today. His moment to turn history's path in his direction was gone, having flown away almost as quickly as it'd suddenly appeared a few games earlier. A long Djokovic shot gave Nadal a match point, then an anticlimactic double-fault ended the 3-6/7-5/6-2/6-4 match.



Nadal's win makes him the first man in the Open era to win Roland Garros five straight times, tying the men's slam record jointly held by trophy presenter Bjorn Borg (at Wimbledon) and Roger Federer (Wimbledon/U.S.). A year from now, Rafa could rise to a level never seen before with a tenth title at a single slam, a record sixth straight championship in Paris and the extension of his match winning streak in Paris to a new men's record. His 35-match RG run is six behind Borg's SW19 stretch from 1976-81.

When it was over, all that was left was "the bite," something that's become a Rafa tradition in Paris. So much so that one wonders when it'll end. If ever.



Remember, Pat Cash's climb into the Centre Court Player's Box at Wimbledon changed the way that grand slam wins are celebrated back in 1987. It's become the Aussie's lasting legacy, even if some may not even realize that he began what has become a post-final "given" in the twenty-seven years that have followed. I guess we'll know if someone else ever wins this title... will he bite the handle of the Coupe des Mousquetaires?

Of course, someone not named Nadal would have to win at Roland Garros for that moment to arrive. And we still might have to wait a while for that to happen.



=MEN'S SINGLES FINAL=
#1 Rafael Nadal/ESP def. #2 Novak Djokovic/SRB 3-6/7-5/6-2/6-4

=MEN'S DOUBLES FINAL=
#11 Benneteau/Roger-Vasselin (FRA/FRA) def. #12 Granollers/M.Lopez (ESP/ESP) 6-3/7-6(1)

=MIXED DOUBLES FINAL=
Groenefeld/Rojer (GER/NED) def. #8 Goerges/Zimonjic (GER/SRB) 4-6/6-2 (10-7)

=BOYS SINGLES FINAL=
#4 Andrey Rublev/RUS def. #7 Jaume Antoni Munar Clar/ESP 6-2/7-5

=BOYS DOUBLES FINAL=
Benjamin Bonzi/Quentin Halys (FRA/FRA) def. Lucas Miedler/Akira Santillan (AUT/AUS) 6-3/6-3

=MEN'S WC SINGLES FINAL=
#1 Shingo Kunieda/JPN def. #2 Stephane Houdet/FRA 6-4/6-1

=MEN'S WC DOUBLES FINAL=
#1 Joachim Gerard/Stephane Houdet (BEL/FRA) def. Gustavo Fernandez/Nicolas Peifer (ARG/FRA) 4-6 6-3 (11-9)



*RECENT RG CHAMPIONS*
2005 Rafael Nadal, ESP
2006 Rafael Nadal, ESP
2007 Rafael Nadal, ESP
2008 Rafael Nadal, ESP
2009 Roger Federer, SUI
2010 Rafael Nadal, ESP
2011 Rafael Nadal, ESP
2012 Rafael Nadal, ESP
2013 Rafael Nadal, ESP
2014 Rafael Nadal, ESP

*CAREER SLAM TITLES*
17...Roger Federer, SUI *
14...RAFAEL NADAL, ESP *
14...Pete Sampras, USA
12...Roy Emerson, USA
11...Bjorn Borg, SWE
11...Rod Laver, AUS

*CAREER SLAM FINALS*
24...Roger Federer (17-7) *
20...RAFAEL NADAL (14-6) *
19...Ivan Lendl (8-11)
18...Pete Sampras (14-4)
17...Rod Laver (11-6)
16...Bjorn Borg (11-5)
16...Ken Rosewall (8-8)

*CONSECUTIVE MATCHES WON AT A SLAM*
41...Bjorn Borg, Wimbledon 1976-81
40...Roger Federer, Wimbledon 2003-08
40...Roger Federer, US Open 2004-09
35...RAFAEL NADAL, Roland Garros 2010-14
31...Pete Sampras, Wimbledon 1993-96
31...Rafael Nadal, Roland Garros 2005-09

*TOTAL SLAM TITLES - ACTIVE*
22...Bob Bryan, USA
18...Mike Bryan, USA
17...Roger Federer, SUI
14...RAFAEL NADAL, ESP
14...Leander Paes, IND
12...Mahesh Bhupathi, IND
12...Daniel Nestor, CAN

*CAREER ATP SINGLES TITLES*
109...Jimmy Connors
94...Ivan Lendl
78...Roger Federer *
77...John McEnroe
64...RAFAEL NADAL *
64...Bjorn Borg
64...Pete Sampras
62...Guillermo Vilas
60...Andre Agassi





All for now.

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