Wow, he actually did it! I know, I know. I acted like it would be a walk in the park but when a feat of this magnitude is achieved in sport it is still kind of overwhelming. No one has held all four slams at the same time since 1969!!

Congrats Nole! A truly astonishing achievement that comes only two days after the passing of boxing legend and GOAT Muhammad Ali. Just maybe the tennis GOAT was born today because Djokovic has a real shot at becoming the undisputed tennis GOAT now.

With his first French Open title today, Djokovic not only completes the career slam at long last but he also completes something more impressive namely the Djoker slam, meaning he holds all four slam titles at the same time.

That is something not even the great Federer or Nadal could achieve. And Djokovic is far from done. He is peaking at 29 years old and playing the best tennis of his life. He also just officially entered the GOAT discussion.

Even though he is currently on 12 slam titles, 5 back of Federer and 2 back of Nadal, winning four slams in a row is a very special achievement right up there with the calendar slam and he also has winning records over Federer(23-22) and Nadal(26-23) now.

Djokovic now has all the accomplishments needed to qualify as an all-time great. He already had the weeks at #1, the World Tour Finals titles, the Masters titles record, and the slam titles. He just needed that elusive French Open title to complete the career slam.

And now he’s got it! But again, it is not just the career slam. Even more impressive than the career slam is the personal slam of holding all four slams at the same time. Incredible! So Djokovic just achieved a double whammy which propelled him right into the GOAT debate.

He doesn’t have the heavy dependence of Nadal on one surface or the poor head-to-head record of Federer against his main rival. There is no weakness in the resume. He is right up there with Federer and Nadal but, of course, he is far from done.

Now let me do the match summary. Djokovic broke to love in the opening game and it looked like it would be a short afternoon. But then things went badly wrong for him as he dropped the opening set 3-6.

Did the French Open curse strike again? Djokovic was clearly nervous and out of sorts. But understandably so since he has lost in three French Open finals and four semi-finals, including that devastating 2013 loss to Nadal.

But Djokovic soon locked into his semi-final form and it was all over for Murray as he ran out a 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 winner. Right at the end the nerves crept in again for Djokovic when he served for the match at 5-2.

He dropped serve and at 5-4 and 40-15 he served a double fault and then it went back to deuce. That was a nervous moment for Djokovic but he pulled through for an unprecedented victory.

If it wasn’t for Djokovic’s history at this event and the emotional burden of having to complete the career slam at long last you better believe the first set would never have happened. From the second set onward Djokovic played on the same level as the semi-finals and Murray couldn’t touch him.

Under different circumstances, Djokovic would have won this 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 but the win is all that matters. And by saying this I also just want to make it clear that Thiem has nothing to be ashamed of at all for what happened in the semis.

The same thing would have happened to Murray if it wasn’t for the enormity of the occasion. There are two more things which I also have to mention which helped Djokovic to overcome the enormity of the occasion.

And that is the crowd support and the fact that Murray spent five hours more than him on the court in the run-up to the final. You don’t win slams by playing ten sets in your first two rounds. I already said Murray is not winning the tournament when that happened.

And then even though crowd support is not everything it does help a lot. I don’t like Murray’s on-court demeanor and neither does many other people including the French crowd. It is disgusting, to be honest.

Djokovic, on the other hand, went through the trouble of learning French which is something the French appreciate. I would know. I spent a lot of time playing tennis there. And, of course, Djokovic did his dues last year.

That is where a kind of turning point happened with the crowd and it was great to see them support him so strongly this year. The French crowd is very emotional and they can be very irritating when they are against you.

But they are also very passionate and knowledgeable about the sport and they are not heartless. They were never a fan of Djokovic but they didn’t just cast him out. They saw how badly he wanted to win the title and that he was making an honest effort to reach out to them.

Over the years, I have criticized the French crowd a lot but I am not casting them out either. They are just very passionate about the sport and find it hard to control their emotions. That’s the French for you. They are emotional people.

So, as usual, I’m not signing off before I add my final thoughts. There is always a lot to be said after such a monumental achievement and I will not be able to fit it all into this post.

First, let me just say thank you to everyone who has been reading my posts and who joined the discussion. Second, I am very grateful to be part of this occasion as a tennis fan and as a Djokovic fan.

Some Fedfans think I started supporting Djokovic only because he was winning but I did the same thing when I got bored of Sampras’ dominance and switched to the underdog Agassi who kept suffering bitter losses to Sampras in slam finals.

But enough of that. Those people will believe whatever suits their agenda anyway. I can assure you that as a tennis and Djokovic fan I am fully appreciating not only this moment but all of Djokovic’s dominance.

It is a true privilege and like I said before this is the best time to be a tennis fan. I have been a tennis fan since Becker won his first Wimbledon and it is just keeps getting better. Today was the best thing that happened yet.

I feel like I can die happy now as a tennis fan. The lack of a French Open title was a real weakness in Djokovic’s resume and he would never truly enter the GOAT debate until he put that demon to bed.

It would be a terrible shame with all his dominance and bad luck in Paris that he would not have won the title. He could still have done it in the future but you felt like this was really the time to finally get it done and since the Djoker slam was up for grabs it was essential.

If he wanted a shot at catching Federer it was essential too. All of a sudden a huge burden is lifted off his shoulders and he can play with less pressure. He finally got the French Open monkey off his back.

Now he can make a serious run at Federer’s slam record starting at Wimbledon. Let’s not forget that if he wins Wimbledon he will have done something completely unprecedented in the open era by winning five consecutive slams.

Not even the great Rod Laver did that. That would be more impressive than the calendar slam even. As for the difference between the calendar slam and a personal slam, there is very little difference if any.

Djokovic’s achievement is arguably better than Laver’s because it was achieved on four different surfaces while three of the four slam were played on grass in 1969. At the very least you can say Djokovic did his personal slam on three different surfaces.

But the hard court surface in Melbourne is slow Plexicushion while the US Open is played on faster Decoturf. So technically Djokovic completed his personal slam on four different surfaces while Laver did it on two different surfaces, namely clay and grass.

To me that is clearly a more impressive achievement, and that in an era of players like Federer, Nadal, Murray, and Wawrinka. But I don’t want to get into too many comparisons. This is impressive enough as it is without making any comparisons.

Just before I finish this post I quickly want to look ahead to Wimbledon because that could be another big moment in the GOAT debate. Wimbledon is only three weeks away now. This is the best time of the year to be a tennis fan!

Djokovic won’t play any tour events. He will only play that warmup event in Boodles like he usually does which is perfect. Even though the clay court season wouldn’t have taken much out of him it is important that he gets some rest now.

He won the French Open while dropping only two sets which means he will still be fresh for the grass court season. We also know that the grass court season will be big for Federer. You would think this is his very last shot at winning a slam title.

And it looks like an outside chance at that. Since he had to withdraw from the French Open he could focus all his attention on the upcoming grass court season and I see he is already playing in Stuttgart this coming week.

If he wants to stop Djokovic from chasing him down he has to win Wimbledon this year. It is a must the way I see it. First, he has to stop Djokovic from winning five slams in a row which would already be an astonishing achievement for Djokovic.

Isn’t it about time I acknowledge the invaluable role of this gorgeous lady in Nole’s success? Congrats Jelena!!

Second, he needs to put some more distance between himself and Djokovic in slam count. And third, if he does not stop Djokovic then Djokovic will be on his way to completing the calendar slam.

If Djokovic completes the calendar slam this year you can write him in as the GOAT. There will be no stopping him. That is if he wouldn’t already be the GOAT. So if Federer ever wanted to protect his own legacy this is it.

That said, Djokovic will be awfully hard to stop. He just seems to get better and more dominant as time passes. A total juggernaut. I don’t think the first half of the year has taken an awfully taxing toll on him either.

He is becoming more comfortable on grass every year and last year he already had Federer more under control than in the 2014 final. Whatever the case may be, it is a great privilege to be a tennis fan these days and I absolutely can’t wait for the grass court season to begin!

Congrats to Nole and his fans on the Djoker slam!!

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I hope you liked my quick post yesterday. It was only half serious though and today I want to go into a bit more detail. I thought the semi-final between Djokovic and Thiem was a tremendous match while the other semi-final disappointed.

Djokovic defeated Thiem 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 in another absolute masterclass. It is clear that Djokovic starts raising his level from the quarterfinals onward in slams. The straight set beatdown of Berdych was impressive but the win over Thiem was truly special.

It was a display of total clay court mastery with some terrific drop shots and volleys included. Djokovic was just on his game and it reminded me of the US Open semis last year and the Australian Open semis this year.

Djokovic was completely dialed in and in the zone. When he is in that mode he is simply unplayable. It is the highest level of tennis ever played and even Thiem’s best was not nearly good enough.

Thiem did exactly what I thought he should which was to come out and swing freely because he had nothing to lose. He was cracking winners himself from all positions but Djokovic’s level was just astonishing.

It’s the best sight in tennis. It may not be as spectacular as Federer or Nadal at their best but it is of higher quality and for the true tennis connoisseur it is a special treat indeed. It is a level of tennis for which there is no solution.

Not yet anyway. The efficiency and completeness of his tennis are such that no one comes close when it is at peak level. The match with Thiem reminded me of the Australian Open semi-final with Federer especially since the first two sets were also 6-1, 6-2.

Even the great Federer gets shut out completely when Djokovic is in this form. Like Federer, Thiem was able to mount some kind of comeback in the third set as he went 3-0 up, but he is not as experienced and accomplished as Federer and couldn’t convert his advantage into winning the set.

That said, I am still very proud of and happy with Thiem’s performance not only in this match but in the French Open overall. The quality of tennis in the semi-final was a treat to watch and even though Thiem got destroyed it was very entertaining tennis.

Thiem has serious power off the ground but he also has a complete game. And, of course, that backhand is just a work of art. As for Djokovic, he served at 68% first serves which already puts the opponent under immense pressure.

Then he won just about 50% of return points at 41/83 with some high-quality returning which makes it impossible for the opponent. Add the depth and consistency of Djokovic’s groundstrokes and it puts the opponent under constant and relentless pressure.

That is not even mentioning Djokovic incredible movement and defense and all the rest. I mean it really is unplayable. The one weakness he has is that overhead which is the worst of any world #1 to date but it the rest of his game is so good that it doesn’t matter.

His slice is also probably the worst of any world #1, but again, if the rest of your game is so efficient it doesn’t matter.

Since both semi-finals were played at the same time I only watched some of this match once the other semi-final was over. Murray won 6-4, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 in a pretty disappointing match. I started watching in the third set where Stan got the break to win the set.

But then in the fourth set, he just went away again. It was a disappointing performance from him but overall a good result for him given his poor clay court form until Geneva. And congrats to Murray.

I didn’t think he would get this far after the five-setters in his first two rounds but then Nishikori did go and lose to Gasquet before the quarters and Gasquet choked badly as usual.

But congrats to him on making his first French Open final and he certainly came a long way as a clay courter in the last couple of years.

Ironically, Djokovic is the one who had the tougher schedule but Murray may end up being more tired because he dropped six sets before the final while Djokovic only dropped one. So certainly Djokovic seems physically in better shape going into this final.

He also finally got his rest day on Saturday after playing four days straight. Other than that this is his fourth French Open final as opposed to Murray’s first which must also count for something. Experience does help.

Then he leads the head-to-head with Murray 23-10 overall, 7-2 in slams, 4-1 on clay, and won the only meeting at the French Open last year in five sets. The poll at Men’s Tennis Forums suggests that Djokovic is the favorite by just about 2/1 odds which I think is fair.

That is strong odds which I think he deserves. Other than the fact that he has never won the French Open everything else is overwhelmingly is his favor. And besides Murray has never won the French Open either.

I think some people are putting stock in the fact that Murray defeated Djokovic in the Rome final and gave him a very tough match in the semis last year. I think those people are mistaken and I’ll tell you why.

Murray gets the odd win over Djokovic, just like Federer. He defeated him last year in the Montreal final while Federer defeated him in the Cincinnati final.

And we all know what happened at the US Open. Same thing at the World Tour Finals where Federer defeated a poor Djokovic but then got routined in the final. Djokovic was struggling in Montreal and Cincy as well.

And he did so in Rome too. He was out of sorts all week. That has not been the case at all in Paris. Dropping only one set is very good for him in a slam, given that he usually plays his best tennis from the quarters onward.

I can only speak for myself but for me, the Rome result means nothing at all. And neither does that French Open semi-final of last year have much relevance. Djokovic’s main mission last year was to put the Nadal demon to bed which he did convincingly.

So much so that Nadal didn’t even show up to challenge him this year. And by the way, I wish he did because Djokovic in his semi-final form would have embarrassed anyone, including Nadal. Thiem did extremely well to only receive one bakery product.

I think Djokovic is a better player than he was last year which is why I don’t think that semi-final marathon with Murray has much relevance here. He would have learned not to become passive from that match as well.

After dropping the first two sets in that match, Murray started hitting the ball really hard and became more aggressive while Djokovic just played the same. I don’t think Djokovic would allow the same thing to happen this time.

He is now a better, more confident player and I think he will rise to the occasion and relish it. Never mind the ‘French Open curse’. You can say he was cursed again this year but he took matters into his own hands and won both his quarters and semis in straight sets to conserve energy.

When you really decide to do something no one can stop you and the circumstances become irrelevant. I think Djokovic has said enough is enough and decided that this is the year he will put the ‘French Open curse’ to bed.

Of course, that doesn’t mean he is guaranteed to win the title, or else there would be no need to play the final. But I think he is the clear favorite and that he will rise to the occasion once more. It is by no means an easy task.

Djokovic is trying to become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to win four consecutive grand slams. It has not been done in the modern era. Not even by Federer or Nadal. So that would already put Djokovic above Federer and Nadal in some respects.

Djokovic is more complete as a player than Federer and Nadal and I believe he is taking tennis to a new level. So I won’t be surprised if he gets it done. But again, this is tennis and you just never know.

As for a prediction, this French Open has a similar feel to it than the Australian Open where Djokovic really started to shine from the quarterfinals onward. And of course, there he defeated Murray in straight sets in the final.

Djokovic looked in absolute brutal form in the semis so I won’t be surprised if it is straight sets again but the reason I don’t like making predictions is exactly because tennis is so unpredictable.

But Murray is certainly capable of winning a set so for safety I will say Djokovic in four.

Enjoy!

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