Italian Open 2021: 3 things we learned from a week dominated by Rafael Nadal, Iga Swiatek & Novak Djokovic
As far as sporting symmetries go, the 2021 Italian Open gave us the perfect coronation of two champions. Rafael Nadal and Iga Swiatek - the reigning French Open champions on the two tours - emerged as the winners in their respective finals last week under the unlikeliest of circumstances.
Both Nadal and Swiatek saved match points during the week before going on to triumph in the finals. In the process, the two also underlined their credentials as the favorites heading into the second Grand Slam of the year.
On that note, here are the three most important things we learned at the Foro Italico this year.
#1 No matter the doubts and the drama, Rome is Rafael Nadal's playground
Rome is a city synonymous with history, but Rafael Nadal's 10th title at the Italian Open is a feat worthy of its own monument. Nadal withstood a barrage of power hitters, faulty tramlines and his biggest rival Novak Djokovic before coming up trumps in a memorable final on Sunday.
It is tough to imagine a more difficult draw than the one Rafael Nadal had to go through in Rome last week. His opening match was against the talented Italian phenom Jannik Sinner, where the Spaniard fought off deficits in both sets to win 7-5, 6-4. He then overcame an inspired Denis Shapovalov in the Round of 16, saving multiple match points before prevailing in a third-set tiebreak.
After that Rafael Nadal had to face his Madrid conqueror Alexander Zverev, and many expected the German to win a fourth consecutive match in the rivalry. But Nadal produced a near-fawless display to earn sweet revenge, before taming surprise semifinalist Reilly Opelka in straight sets.
Rafael Nadal's acid test came in the final against the World No. 1 Novak Djokovic. Djokovic had been the beneficiary of another unkind schedule, needing to complete his quarterfinal match over two days due to rain.
Nadal sensed blood and he squeezed every ounce of sweat and energy out of Djokovic's reserves. The two gladiators went toe-to-toe for two hours and 49 minutes in a final as wondrous as the many they have played in their rivalry.
If anyone entertained the idea that this could be the year Nadal would relinquish his status as clay's undisputed king, the victory over Djokovic on Sunday was a timely riposte.
#2. Novak Djokovic is still Rafael Nadal's biggest challenger on clay
There was a cloud of uncertainty as to whether Novak Djokovic would find his groove on clay in time for Roland Garros. Djokovic had looked out of sorts in the buildup to the second Grand Slam of the season, and his transition from hardcourt to dirt was littered with two eyebrow-raising results.
The Serb suffered a shock defeat to Dan Evans in his first outing on clay, at the Monte Carlo Masters. Even a return to home soil in Belgrade couldn't lift his fortunes as he fell to Aslan Karatsev in the semifinals.
So Novak Djokovic returned to the drawing board. Sometimes in sports you can get better simply by not playing, and Djokovic decided to give that a try. He sat out the Madrid Masters, where he was the defending champion, before re-launching his claycourt campaign in Rome.
Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev had won the two previous Masters 1000 titles on clay coming into the Italian Open. And the pair were on opposite sides of the draw last week, looking to dethrone the two members of the Big 3.
But there was a certain poetry to the way Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic restored order in the Italian capital. Nadal took care of Zverev in the last eight, and Djokovic accounted for Stefanos Tsitsipas in an incredible match.
During the trophy presentation, Djokovic even joked that his generation could still give the younger players a run for their money.
''We are reinventing the Next Gen," Djokovic said. "Me, Rafa and Roger, we are the Next Gen.''
Moreover, Novak Djokovic also showed in the final on Sunday that he is still the only player who can force an in-form Rafael Nadal on to the backfoot on clay. Nadal did go match point down in his Round of 16 encounter against Denis Shapovalov, but that was when he was still searching for his best form. Against Djokovic, on the other hand, the Spaniard had to bring out his absolute best to quell the threat.
Novak Djokovic is slated to play in Belgrade 2 next week as he searches for ''positive sensations'' ahead of Paris. But he has already proven that while the Next Gen can try their hardest to break the hegemony of the Big 3, the oldies are not going away just yet.
#3 When Iga Swiatek is on her game, she is unstoppable
Iga Swiatek won the second-biggest title of her burgeoning career with a remarkable 6-0, 6-0 victory in the final of the Italian Open. The match lasted just 46 minutes, making it the most one-sided Rome final since 1983.
Swiatek wrestled control of the women's final in a manner rarely seen in recent years. She outpowered, outmaneuvered and outclassed the seemingly unbreakable Karolina Pliskova, and by the end it was hard not to feel sorry for the Czech.
At times, Pliskova was left gasping for air. If this was relatable to a boxing match, Swiatek's fists would have been bruised at the number of turns she pummeled at her opponent's brittle defenses.
The Pole lost a meager 13 points in the entire match, which is particularly impressive given that she was pitted against one of the best servers in the women's game.
Iga Swiatek is now one of the top contenders to win Roland Garros next month, if not the outright favorite. With Simona Halep and Ashleigh Barty spending time on the treatment table in the coming days, Swiatek's path towards a second Grand Slam title looks fairly manageable.
But even if Barty and Halep were to recover in time, Swiatek has proved with her Rome title that when she gets on a roll, there's very little anyone can do to stop her.