Six 2023 French Open Takeaways: Djokovic, Swiatek continue dominance in Paris

Au revoir, Paris!

The second grand slam of the tennis calendar is complete, with two weeks of mesmerizing clay court clashes on the red dirt of Roland Garros having come and gone.

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic achieved tennis history and is being anointed the greatest after his latest triumph in Paris, Iga Swiatek repeated as champion at her most beloved event, Carlos Alcaraz’s body let him down in the latter stages, and two Canadians made noise in the doubles field.

Here are six takeaways from the 2023 French Open:

Novak sets major record, more around the corner?

Djokovic continues his assault on tennis records and is setting unprecedented levels of greatness in tennis.

The 36-year-old won his record-setting 23^rd major in Paris, defeating Norway’s Casper Ruud 7-6, 6-3, 7-5  in the final.

He’s now surpassed his greatest rival Rafael Nadal and stands alone with the most men’s Grand Slam titles ever and is also the first men’s player in history to win every major at least three times.

How did we get here?

Djokovic’s dominance has been particularly staggering the last eight seasons.

Since 2015, Djokovic has won 16 of the 33 majors played, reaching the finals of 20 of them.

His semifinals win over Alcaraz set the stage for this edition’s victory in Paris, as he overcame the supreme Spanish talent 6-3, 6-7, 6-1, 6-1 as his 20-year-old competitor succumbed to cramping.

Djokovic has reclaimed the world number one, a mantle he has already held for a record 387 weeks.

For many, he will now stand alone atop the GOAT (greatest of all time) conversation with his career records and accolades.

How fitting that he had all-time great quarterback Tom Brady watch the championship match in his box.

Alcaraz cracks physically, Rune comes up short

At 20 years old, Alcaraz is already a major champion and one of the best tennis athletes on the face of the earth.

Given his dominant clay court campaign with titles in Barcelona and Madrid, it’s understandable he entered the French Open as the odds-on favourite to win the event.

With shots like this (the best of the tournament), how could he not be?

Though he had youth on his side in the salivating semi-final encounter with Djokovic, it was his body, and not the 36-year-old’s, that would wane physically.

After the players split the first two sets with some mesmerizing and brutal tennis, Alcaraz found his entire body cramping.

Unable to run for shots, he wilted towards the finish line, losing the third and fourth sets to Djokovic for a final score line that read: 3-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-1.

For one of the most physically gifted and athletic players on tour, one obstacle in the early stages of Alcaraz’s career has been health.

He missed the ATP Finals last season due to an abdominal tear, then injured his right leg in training at the beginning of 2023, forcing him out of the Australian Open.

Alcaraz, much like his Spanish predecessor Rafael Nadal, may have to navigate challenges to his body while on his quest for greatness and tennis lore.

Meantime, fellow 20-year-old competitor Holger Rune had high expectations going into this year’s edition of Roland Garros.

Rune has soared to the upper echelon of the rankings the last several months and notched signature wins over numerous top 5 opponents, including a three-set victory over Djokovic in Rome.

His elite defensive skillset and fantastic two-handed backhand had made him a nightmare for most opponents this season, but he was supremely in the quarterfinals in Paris by Casper Ruud, losing 6-1, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.

While Rune already has four titles and a Masters 1000, he’s yet to reach a grand slam semi-final. 

The Tiebreak King

In a first to seven-points proposition, there is no one tougher in the business than Djokovic.

On six separate occasions in Paris, Djokovic had sets go the distance at 6-6, requiring a tiebreak.

Djokovic went a flawless 6-0 in tiebreak sets during the tournaments, winning a staggering 42 of 55 points.

Not only that, but he also hit 17 winners to 0 unforced errors during tiebreaks.

The mental edge on display from Djokovic throughout Roland Garros gave him a crucial edge over the opposition, as he consistently raised his level of play in the decisive moments of matches.

Iga owns Paris

She is the fiercest and most determined in the City of Light.

World number one, Swiatek, reminded the women’s tour why she’s truly the crème de la crème in France, defeating surprise finalist Karolina Muchova to win her third Roland Garros title and fourth major overall.

While the first six matches of the tournament were straightforward, business-like victories, the final came with plenty of drama and intrigue.

Swiatek looked to have full command of the match, racing out to a 6-2, 3-0 lead before her Czech opponent mounted a stunning comeback.

Muchova drew Swiatek into the net with drop shots, kept her off balance with backhand slices, and ripped big forehands into the corners to drive Swiatek out of her comfort zone, suddenly stealing the second set, 7-5.

Swiatek even trailed by a break in the third set before channelling her best tennis under pressure and hitting two key forehand winners to level the score at 4-all, finally waiting to see Muchova flinch with the match on the line.

As Muchova double-faulted on championship point, Swiatek collapsed in tears.

Swiatek is the first women’s champion to repeat at Roland Garros since Justine Henin in 2007 and is a perfect 4-0 in Grand Slam finals. 

At just 22 years old, it’s fair to assume there will be many more trophies in Paris to come for the Polish superstar.

Wimbledon remains one of two slams she is yet to conquer – will she be the favourite at the All-England Club?

Muchova and Haddad Maia achieve new heights

While a lot of the talk in the women’s field was the prowess of the dominant three-headed monster of Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka, and Elena Rybakina, two players emerged with surprising breakthrough runs in Paris.

Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia, who had never been beyond the second round of a major, notched the best slam result of her career by winning five matches to reach the final four.

Her biggest victory came in the quarterfinals, as she rallied to defeat Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur 3-6, 7-6, 6-1.

The 27-year-old left-hander notably won the National Bank Open in Toronto last summer.

Meantime, Czechia’s Muchova came into this event unseeded, and was able to use a first-round upset over Maria Sakkari as a springboard all the way to the finals.

Incredibly, she rallied from the brink of defeat against world number two Aryna Sabalenka, saving a match point and erasing a 2-5 deficit in the final set to win 7-6, 6-7, 7-5.  

Muchova is a former top-20 player but endured a challenging 2022, sitting out of Australia due to injury and dropping outside the top-100.

Healthy and confident again, Muchova has gone 25-8 this season with two WTA 1000 quarterfinal runs in Dubai and Indian Wells, and now a runner-up finish at Roland Garros. 

Muchova has had major success in the past, reaching the semi-finals in Australia in 2021, and quarterfinals of Wimbledon twice (2019, 2021).

With her unorthodox style of play and variation on the ball, she’ll undoubtedly be a top grass court threat these next several weeks on tour. 

Canadians have a doubles breakthrough 

While the Canadians in Paris could not muster a deep run in the singles, two made finals in the doubles category.

Montreal’s Leylah Annie Fernandez finished as a women’s doubles runner-up alongside Chicago native Taylor Townsend, as the pair fell short to Hsieh Su-Wei and Wang Xinyu 1-6, 7-6, 6-1 in a closely contested final.

Fernandez and Townsend have been competing as a team since Indian Wells in March and their chemistry is notable on court, as they’ve reached two finals and two semifinals.

They intend to stay on through the 2023 season with the objective of qualifying for the end-of-year WTA Finals.

Meantime, Mississauga’s Bianca Andreescu came just one match away from winning the second grand slam title of her tennis career.

She played alongside Michael Venus in mixed doubles, and the duo won four consecutive matches before falling 4-6, 6-4, 10-6 in the finals to Tim Putz and Miyu Kato.

Andreescu’s quick return to the tour after a frightening ankle injury back in late March in Miami has exceeded expectations.

She opens her grass court season this week in the Netherlands on Tuesday.

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