A French Open champion at long last, and the first man in nearly a half-century to win four consecutive major championships, Novak Djokovic grabbed a racket and etched a heart in the very red clay that had given him such heartache in the past.
Then, when he was finally handed the La Coupe des Mousquetaires – the one trophy he truly yearned for, the one he needed to complete a career Grand Slam – Djokovic held it overhead, his eyes shut, before kissing it, exhaling and smiling broadly. Later, Djokovic’s father and friends sipped champagne from it.
This is the 12th grand slam title for the Serbian. ‘Nole’ had played 3 finals at Roland Garros prior to 2016 but was unsuccessful to clinch the title. He lost to Rafael Nadal in finals of 2012 and 2014 and to Stanislas Wawrinka in 2015.
(With inputs from AP.)
Video editor- Ashutosh Bhardwaj
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