The career Grand Slam is one match away for Novak Djokovic, but Andy Murray hopes the fourth time won’t be the charm.
Djokovic will play in his fourth French Open men’s final Sunday when he faces Murray, but he’s yet to win the title at Roland Garros. His best shot came in 2015, when he lost to Stan Wawrinka.
But it’s a new year, and with it comes new opportunity and hope for Djokovic, who is playing like the best men’s tennis player in the world right now. He’s only dropped one set at Roland Garros so far, and he enters the final fresh off a dominant victory over Dominic Thiem.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QR_jPQbZuXo
Perhaps the best news for Djokovic is he’s facing Murray in the final. Djokovic enjoys a 23-10 career record against the No. 2 seed, including a 4-2 mark in Grand Slam finals.
But Djokovic can’t expect an easy match against Murray, even if history is on his side. Murray arguably has never looked better on clay than he has the past month. After dropping the Madrid Open final to Djokovic, Murray rebounded nicely to beat his rival and win the Internazionali BNL d’Italia title.
Murray, however, did struggle early on at Roland Garros, as he needed five sets in each of his first two matches to advance. But he arguably holds the most impressive win on the men’s side to date thanks to his commanding victory over Wawrinka in the semifinals.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3Vdoax_TWA
One of the main things to watch in this matchup will be the serves. Murray usually holds the advantage when he’s serving, which is highlighted by his 48 aces so far in Paris. But working against Murray is the fact that Djokovic is one of the best returners in the game.
History tells us that Djokovic should beat Murray, but it also tells us Djokovic and the red clay usually don’t mix well in the final. And on top of that, Murray has been playing some of the best clay court tennis of his career, and he enters Sunday’s match fresh off a victory over the defending champion.
But Djokovic also has momentum, and he’s looked about as good as he ever has at Roland Garros. Serena Williams couldn’t make history in the women’s final, but expect Djokovic to finally pick up the career Grand Slam.
Thumbnail photo via Susan Mullane/USA TODAY Sports Images
