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Roland Garros Re-Lived 2015/16: When Stan became the Man and Novak completed the Slam
Ep. 682
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Novak Djokovic’s quest to win Roland Garros and complete his career Grand Slam is the focus of this episode as we look back on his near miss against Stan Wawrinka in the 2015 final and his moment of triumph over Andy Murray a year later.
How can Wawrinka trouble Djokovic like nobody else? What was memorable about the ovation Djokovic received after that final? How did he bounce back from such a painful defeat? Was Murray’s fatigue a factor in the 2016 final? And how significant is it that Djokovic, by holding all four slams at once, accomplished something that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have never done?
We also speak to Marian Vajda, Djokovic’s long-time coach and confidant, who tells us about the way in which Nadal’s dominance gradually eroded Djokovic’s love of clay, the emotions Novak experienced after finally beating Nadal but then losing to Wawrinka in 2015, whether he ever doubted that Djokovic would win at Roland Garros, and the stress Djokovic felt before facing Murray in 2016.
The Tennis Podcast is presented by Catherine Whitaker and David Law, featuring Matt Roberts. It is produced weekly year-round, and daily during the Grand Slam tournaments. It is crowdfunded by listeners each December.
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We are producing daily shows throughout the original Roland Garros dates, looking back on 15 classic matches and stories from the tournament’s history. Our final show will be a review of Simona Halep’s victory in 2018. Her final against Sloane Stephens can be watched in full here. We will also be doing editions for Wimbledon.
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