13 October,2020 08:49 AM IST | Paris | AFP
Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic said the greatest of defeats in his career had taught him more than anything else as he suffered a straight-sets loss to Rafael Nadal in the French Open final on Sunday.
Nadal won an astonishing 13th Roland Garros title to equal Roger Federer's all-time record of 20 Grand Slams, inflicting a fourth French Open final defeat on Djokovic. The Serb, a 2016 champion in Paris, was denied in his bid to become the first man in half a century to win all four Slams twice as he lost 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 in his 56th meeting with Nadal.
Spain's Rafael Nadal holds the French Open trophy near the Eiffel Tower in Paris yesterday. Pic/AFP
"Defeats like this are never really enjoyable, but in the greatest of defeats you learn the greatest lessons as a tennis player, but as a person as well," said Djokovic. He had won 14 of their last 18 meetings and the last three at the Slams, including in the quarter-finals of the 2015 French Open - one of only Nadal's two losses at the tournament.
Meanwhile, Poland's Iga Swiatek shot up 37 places to 17th in WTA rankings released on Monday, following her French Open win over the weekend. The Pole became her country's first major singles champion on Saturday.
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