Novak Djokovic captured his second French Open title as he recovered from being outplayed for two sets by Stefanos Tsitsipas to win 6-7(6) 2-6 6-3 6-2 6-4 victory on Sunday.
Djokovic's seismic semi-final win over 13-times champion Rafa Nadal looked like being in vain as an inspired Tsitsipas moved to the brink of becoming Greece's first Grand Slam champion.
The 34-year-old, who won his first French crown in 2016, rattled through the third and fourth sets as Tsitsipas, playing in his first Grand Slam final, struggled to maintain the intensity that had put him in charge. There were nerves as he served at 5-4, netting an easy volley and then seeing a Tsitsipas backhand flash past him on championship point. But Djokovic would not be denied as he claimed victory by angling away another volley at the second time of asking after four hours 11 minutes.
"It's not easy; physically and mentally it was very, very difficult for me, these three days. I believed in my capacities and in my game. It's a dream come true."Not only did he inflict only a third ever defeat on Nadal, he also became the first player in the professional era to win a Grand Slam title having twice come back from a two sets down, having also found himself staring at defeat against Lorenzo Musetti in the fourth round.
It was Djokovic who looked to be feeling the strain as he double-faulted on the way to falling 4-0 behind. There was a hint of despondency in Djokovic's body language and Tsitsipas sensed it, seizing control of the match to dominate the second set after breaking early.
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