Both 2012 French Open singles” winners had reasons to celebrate a little more than the average Grand Slam champion.
Rafael Nadal, the most dominant clay-court player of the modern era, captured a record seventh French Open title while Maria Sharapova, the new No. 1 in women”s tennis, completed the career Grand Slam.
Nadal defeated men”s No. 1 Novak Djokovic Monday morning in a rain-extended, four-set final, ending the Serb”s bid for four consecutive majors.
With the win, the Spanish lefty improved to 52-1 all-time on Paris” red clay, broke a tie with Bjorn Borg for most French Open men”s titles and added an 11th Slam championship to his collection.
Nadal, now 26, burst onto the scene as a teen by winning the 2005 French Open and has been all but untouchable on clay since. His only loss in Paris occurred in the fourth round of the 2009 tournament against Sweden”s Robin Soderling.
Despite Nadal”s supremacy, only one of his seven French titles came with him as the tournament”s No. 1 seed.
Such was the case this year, and as the No. 2 seed, Nadal orchestrated one of the most impressive runs through a Slam.
Coming into the final against Djokovic, Nadal hadn”t dropped a set. In fact, the most games he lost in a match to that point was 11 — in the quarterfinals against fellow Spaniard Nicolas Almagro.
Though the lefty lost one set to Djokovic (who beat Nadal in the three previous Slam finals), he left no doubt about who was the greatest man on clay.
That distinction on the women”s side, however, was further muddled by this year”s tournament.
Many of the top-seeded players faltered early, and with her win, Sharapova became the sixth woman in as many years to earn a French Open title.
The 25-year-old Russian didn”t have the most memorable of runs in Paris, but she certainly cemented herself as the top player in women”s tennis — and hopefully moved closer to realizing the promise she showed sporadically in past years.
Counting the French, Sharapova appeared in three of the last four Grand Slam finals. She probably used the disappointing runner-up finishes in London and Melbourne as motivation in Paris.
The championship-clinching victory Saturday against little-known Italian Sara Errani gave Sharapova a fourth major overall – one at each venue, marking the quirkiest career Grand Slam of the modern era.
But tennis fans and analysts expected Sharapova to have more titles at age 25, especially after she shocked the world by winning Wimbledon in 2004.
Her career has gone up and down, mainly because of injuries and off-the-court distractions, and she has made just six Slam finals since 2004, prevailing in the 2006 U.S. Open, 2008 Australian Open and this year”s French.
She joined an exclusive club by becoming the 10th woman to claim all four Slam singles” crowns, but her overall total isn”t even top-30 all-time.
Although Sharapova is listed among them, her achievements make her look inconsequential compared to most of the other women with a career Grand Slam — Margaret Court, Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova and Serena Williams to name a few.
Luckily she has time to add on, and the conditions are in her favor.
The women”s game has shifted in the last decade. Teenagers no longer dominate the scene, and more and more major champions are winning in their mid-to-late 20s.
Sharapova regained the No. 1 ranking after her win in Paris — the result of her recent consistency and the erratic play of her peers.
The Russian is the clear favorite going into the Wimbledon Championships and Summer Olympic Games, which will both be played on grass in London this summer.
Sharapova will need to watch out for Williams, Victoria Azarenka and defending Wimbledon champ Petra Kvitova during both tournaments. Danish underachiever Caroline Wozniacki could pose a surprise threat.
Djokovic should be favored on the men”s side in London, with Nadal a close second.
Great Britain”s own, Andy Murray, will provide the most intrigue, as he”ll hold the high hopes of a kingdom on his shoulders. Don”t expect a man outside the top five to seriously contend.
