Novak is the 2016 Roland Garros champion!
Top seed Novak Djokovic beat second seed Andy Murray 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 to complete the career Grand Slam, and became just the eighth man to accomplish the feat.
He joined Rod Laver, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Andre Agassi, Roy Emerson, Don Budge and Fred Perry, as the only men to win all four major tournaments.
By winning his first French Open crown, his 12th Grand Slam trophy, Novak cemented his place among the game’s all-time greats!
Nole and Andy squared off for the 34th time on tour, Djokovic now leads their ATP Head2Head rivalry 24-10 and has won 13 of their last 15 meetings.
Novak got off to a flying start, breaking Murray in the opening game of the match. The Brit responded strong, making breaks in the second and fourth games. The Serb pushed his rival to deuce three times in the seventh game, but Andy held and closed out the set two games later.
The 29-year-old Belgrade native played fantastic tennis in the second set. He broke Murray twice, in the second and sixth games, to clinch it 6-1 in 36 minutes.
Djokovic moved a double break up in the third set, then saved four break points in the sixth game before sealing it 6-2.
The no.1 seed continued the momentum into the fourth set and broke Andy’s serve in the first and seventh games for 5-2 lead. He got broken serving for the win, but regrouped and served it out two games later, capturing his 65th career title, sixth in 2016.
The Serbian is most impressively just the third to hold all four major crowns at the same time, joining Don Budge (1938) and Rod Laver (1962 & ’69).
“It’s a thrilling moment,” said Djokovic. “One of the most beautiful I have had in my career… It’s incredibly flattering to know that Rod Laver is the last one that managed to do that. There are not many words that can describe it. It’s one of the ultimate challenges that you have as a tennis player. I’m very proud and very thrilled. It’s hard for me to reflect on what has happened before and what’s going to happen after. I’m just so overwhelmed with having this trophy next to me that I’m just trying to enjoy this moment.”
It was Novak’s 20th major final (12-8 record), and his fourth appearance in the Roland Garros final (having lost in 2012, 2014 and 2015).
Nole next heads to Wimbledon, the third Grand Slam event of the season, where he lifted his third Championships trophy last year, beating seven-time former titlist Roger Federer 7-6 (1), 6-7 (10), 6-4, 6-3 in the final.
Photo: AFP / Getty Images
