The French Insider #10: Djokovic’s emotions, Federer’s chances in 2021 and more

In the tenth episode of The French Insider, host Jenny Drummond talks to journalist Ben Rothenberg about Sunday’s Roland-Garros final.

“I don’t know if it was the best ever [win], but I think it was the most impressive,” said Rothenberg, pointing to the way Rafael Nadal had exceeded all expectations and taken apart the world No 1 in straight sets.

He wondered whether Djokovic had worked so hard to keep a lid on his emotions after his US Open default that it had a negative effect on him.

“I think he’d been working so hard…it cost him dearly,” he speculated. “He really didn’t show much emotion in this match at all, even when it was going against him.”

As for next year, Rothenberg expects more of the same on the men’s side of things.

“It’s still going to be Nadal and Djokovic – with Djokovic the frontrunner on hard courts,” he said. “Federer – we’ll see how he comes back, I don’t think it’s right to count him out of it.”

‘Surprising’

Coach Patrick Mouratoglou agreed that it was one of the most dominant performances he had seen from Nadal – in a match that was expected to be close.

“It was a very surprising scenario,” he said. “He always plays his match – whether he wins or loses.

“We didn’t have the match we expected. 6-0, 6-2 – you cannot believe it’s a match between Rafa and Novak.”

And Alizé Lim joins to break down the social media scene from Sunday, starting with Roger Federer’s congratulatory tweet to Nadal. 

“All of a sudden he’s reappeared on social media to congratulate Rafa!” declared Lim. “He’s reminded everyone he’s still out there – and coming back.”

Enjoy the show, in podcast version (check them all out on our SoundCloud page) or as a video show!