On this day in 2016: Novak Djokovic beats Andy Murray to win first French Open
The Serbian claimed a 3-6 6-1 6-2 6-4 victory in the final at Roland Garros.
Novak Djokovic beat Andy Murray to win the French Open for the first time at Roland Garros on this day in 2016, handing Murray his eighth grand slam final loss.
The 3-6 6-1 6-2 6-4 victory meant Djokovic became the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to be the holder of all four titles at the same time.
It was the Serb’s 12th grand slam victory and moved him to within five titles of Roger Federer’s then-record of 17.
For Murray, it was the fifth time in those eight losses he had been defeated by Djokovic, with the pair first having met when the Scot was just 11.
“It’s a very special moment,” said world number one Djokovic. “Perhaps the biggest of my career.”
He had lost out in the final of the 2015 edition to Stan Wawrinka, despite having overcome clay court king Rafael Nadal in the last four.
“To Novak, this is his day,” said Murray, who was the first British man in 79 years to reach the final in Paris before finally going down in the fourth set.
“What he’s achieved the last 12 months is phenomenal, winning all four of the grand slams in one year is an amazing achievement and this is something that is so rare in tennis.”
