Novak Djokovic came back from a set down against 13-time champion Rafael Nadal to win 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 after four hours and 13 minutes on Court Philippe Chatrier.
The French President Emmanuel Macron decided to allow the fans inside the stadium to stay beyond the 11pm curfew in France due to the excellent display from both players and the incredible atmosphere created by the 5,000 spectators.
Djokovic had just won the third set when fans were expected to be ushered out but instead, Macron rang the event organizers to allow the spectators to stay in the stadium until the conclusion of the match.
The world No 1 managed to inflict Nadal’s third defeat in 108 matches at Roland Garros and following the victory, the Serbian showed his appreciation to the crowd for their part in the spectacle.
Djokovic said: ‘It’s a privilege to be on court with Rafa in such an incredible match, it was the best atmosphere and best match I’ve ever played in Paris and the support was the same for both players, it was incredible.
‘To win against Rafa on this court you have to play your best tennis and tonight I did just that.
‘It is very difficult to describe the pressure of playing Rafa here but the pressure is a privilege and I’m very happy to be in this situation and test my character and my game in matches like this.’
Immaculate clay-court tennis
The world No 1 lost the opening five games of the match and it looked as if a repeat of the bagel in last year’s final was on the cards, however Djokovic battled back and despite eventually losing the opening set 6-3 he seemed to find the winning formula late on in the set.
Djokovic used the momentum from the end of the first set and broke Nadal’s serve at the first opportunity in the second set.
The pair then traded a set of service breaks before Djokovic saved another five break points to level the scores at 1-1.
In the third set the two tennis greats displayed why they are considered the best to have ever played the sport as both players showcased their incredible attack and defence for continuous jaw-dropping rallies.
Djokovic had the opportunity to serve for the set at 5-4 but Nadal broke back before failing to convert a set-point himself at 5-6.
The eventual tie-break was all but decided at 4-4 following another incredible rally but the Spaniard produced an unforced error from a simple volley to gift Djokovic a mini-break which the Serbian duly served out.
In typical Nadal fashion the Spaniard looked to be forcing a a fifth and final set when he broke Djokovic’s serve for a 2-0 lead in the fourth.
However, heading into the fourth hour of play an ongoing issue with Nadal’s ankle began to hinder the Spaniard who called for a trainer to assist his pain.
Djokovic sensed blood and bounced straight back and reeled off six games in a row to close out the match and become the only man to have ever beaten Nadal twice at the tournament.
Stefanos Tsitsipas becomes the first-ever Greek player to reach a Grand Slam final
There was also drama in the first semi-final of the day where Stefanos Tsitsipas was pegged back from two-sets up before regaining his composure and defeating Alexander Zverev in five-sets.
The Greek player extended his impressive record over his opponent to 6-2 by dictating the early proceedings and forcing the German back with aggressive shots off both wings.
A singular break of service was enough for Tsitsipas to win the first but the fifth seed was broken early in the second set as Zverev looked to stay competitive.
However, a streak of seven games in a row saw Tsitsipas take a grip on the match and extend his lead to two sets.
A major momentum shift then took place when Zverev broke the Greek’s serve early in the third set and another singular break of serve in the fourth set was enough to force a decider due to the German’s excellent serving.
Zverev then had three break points in the opening game of the final set but failed to convert any and in turn swinging the momentum back towards his opponent.
Tsitsipas gained confidence from that moment onwards and forced a break of serve for himself midway through the fifth set and at the fifth attempt managed to convert a match point to earn victory in three hours and 40 minutes.
Tsitsipas managed to go one step further than his Greek counterpart Maria Sakkari and become the first ever Greek player to reach the final of a major tournament.
Following defeat at this stage of the competition last year, an emotional Tsitsipas was able to reminisce on his upbringing that enabled him to fulfil a lifelong goal.
Tsitsipas said: ‘A lot of people were flying the Greek flags today and I’m very happy that Maria and I have helped to put Greece on the tennis map.
‘I came from a small place outside of Athens and as a little boy I always dreamed of playing here in the biggest stages of the French Open but who would have thought that I could?
‘This win means a lot, it is the most important win of my career so far.
‘It was nerve-wracking and it was so intense the first game of the fifth set was the most important of the match, I managed to come back and had the crowd with me and giving me their energy.
‘I still felt there was hope and I still felt there were opportunities for me to fight back, especially when the crowd treats you that way, the only job is to fight.’
