Novak Djokovic has chiselled out another monumental triumph, digging deeper than perhaps ever before in his stellar career to fight back from two sets down and overcome final debutant Stefanos Tsitsipas for his 19th grand slam singles victory at the French Open.
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The world No.1 had seemed curiously flat after his epic dethronement of Rafael Nadal two days earlier as the 22-year-old Tsitsipas, in his historic first final appearance by any Greek player, outplayed the world No.1 over the opening two sets on Sunday.
Yet the Serb, at 34, proved yet again why he is simply one the greatest players tennis has ever seen as he summoned up inner spirit, fresh energy and fight on a bitingly hot Paris afternoon to outlast a pretender 12 years his junior 6-7 (6-8) 2-6 6-3 6-2 6-4 at Roland Garros.
By the end, as the old master started to outplay the weary Tsitsipas to win a second French crown after his 2016 triumph, it really did resemble a serial champ in his 29th grand slam final against a wannabe in his first.
It all set up the tantalising prospect of another milestone year for Djokovic as he became only the third man after Australian greats Rod Laver and Roy Emerson to win all four of the grand slams more than once.
"I am thrilled and I'm very proud. Making history in the sport that I love with all my heart is always something very inspiring and fulfilling for me. I couldn't be happier."
He's also now just one major title behind Nadal and Roger Federer, who both have 20 slams, and will target a calendar year 'golden' grand slam - a unique achievement in the men's game - of the four majors and the Olympics.
"Everything is possible, and I did put myself in a good position to go for the golden Slam," smiled Djokovic.
Djokovic's incredible four-set semi-final win had taken him four hours 11 minutes and, eerily, the final was exactly the same length, even if it didn't quite match the breathtaking quality of Friday's masterpiece.
He felt the back-to-back wins over 48 hours - in matches that, eerily, both lasted exactly four hours 11 minutes - were among his three greatest experiences in professional tennis.
He'd not looked on his game even when blowing the chance to serve out for the first set at 6-5, and missing out on a set point in the tiebreak, allowing Tsitsipas to pounce.
He'd also taken a first set tumble, chasing down a drop shot in vain, and reckoned it affected his rhythm for the next half-hour.
After a woeful second set, though, he disappeared to the locker room, only for his two internal voices - one telling him he couldn't win and the other that he would - to have a debate.
Naturally, the positive Djokovic alter ego won.
"I told myself, 'I can do it', strongly repeated it and tried to live it with my entire being. I came back as a different player. Just refreshed, I felt like I got into his head," said the Serb, who scrapped for his life in an 11-and-a-half minute fourth game, which he finally annexed on his fifth break point.
The Greek called for the trainer to treat a hip blockage at the end of the third and Djokovic, scenting blood, raced into a 4-0 lead before levelling the match.
With his amazing winning record of 34-10 in five-setters and having five times won from two sets down before, Djokovic was now irresistible, physically fresher and tormenting Tsitsipas with drop shots.
He eventually served out for victory, rather nervously, becoming the first men's champion ever to make two successful fightbacks from two sets down in the same grand slam, following his last-16 win over Italian Lorenzo Musetti.
"Novak, you continue to change the way we look at this sport," former champion Jim Courier told him at the presentation - and the world of tennis could only concur.
Australian Associated Press
