PARIS — The atmosphere seemed as if it was designed to make a Greek feel at home in his first Grand Slam singles final.
Greece’s azure-and-white flags were draped over seats in the French Open’s main Philippe Chatrier Court. The fans, most of them French, were chanting Stefanos Tsitsipas’s surname and often cheering Novak Djokovic’s errors. And then there was the weather: sun-kissed with a slight breeze and a pale blue sky.
But no matter how much it might have felt like a title was meant to be for Tsitsipas on Sunday as he jumped out to a two-set lead, it was all a false promise and yet another chance for the world’s clear No.