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Wednesday, November 18
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Five things we learned from 2020 French Open

:Headline: Five things we learned from 2020 French Open: ID:418115: from db_amp
Rafael Nadal and Iga Swiatek were crowned champions.

The rescheduled French Open concluded on Sunday with Rafael Nadal once again crowned the King of Clay.

A new star emerged among the women with teenager Iga Swiatek defeating Sofia Kenin in the final.

Here, the PA news agency looks at five things we learned from Roland Garros.

Death, taxes, and Rafael Nadal

The French Open is an annual tennis tournament, played on clay, in Paris. It features 128 men, and 128 women, and lasts two weeks. And at the end of it, Rafael Nadal wins. A lot has changed in 2020, but some things stay the same. This was Nadal's 13th title at Roland Garros. The Spaniard has played 102 matches at the tournament, and won 100 of them. Not even Novak Djokovic, the world number one and unbeaten this year (US Open default aside) could prevent the inevitable.

Tight at the top

While the men's game may be predictable, the women's is anything but. Iga Swiatek began the tournament ranked 54 in the world and relatively unknown outside her native Warsaw. A fortnight later the 19-year-old had swept through the draw without dropping a set to become Poland's first grand slam winner. In the last 14 women's slams there have been nine first-time champions. Swiatek's challenge now is to emulate Simona Halep and Naomi Osaka, rather than Jelena Ostapenko and Sloane Stephens.

Tough ride for Brits

Andy Murray lost to Stan Wawrinka (Steven Paston/PA)

British tennis suffered a hugely disappointing 2020 French Open, with no one making the second round in a grand slam for the first time since 2013. Andy Murray was given a tough draw against Stan Wawrinka while Johanna Konta, Dan Evans, Cameron Norrie and Heather Watson also fell at the first hurdle. Liam Broady came through qualifying, which was a positive, but he too did not make it any further. Watson gave a scathing assessment of the standard, saying: "I don't really see who's next." Props, then, to Alfie Hewett, a winner in the wheelchair men's singles and doubles finals.

Not quite Paris in the spring

The move from May/June to September/October due to coronavirus made for a very different tournament, with players shivering rather than sweating. Roland Garros' land grab, crowbarring the tournament in a week after the US Open was initially met with some cynicism. But at the end of the day another blue riband sporting event went ahead, even allowing a limited number of spectators in, which at the moment is a triumph in itself. And it was memorable in many, many ways.

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Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Leicester CityLeicester8602189918
2Tottenham HotspurSpurs85211991017
3Liverpool85211816217
4Southampton85121612416
5Chelsea843120101015
6Aston Villa7502189915
7Everton84131614213
8Crystal Palace84131212013
9Wolverhampton WanderersWolves841389-113
10Manchester CityMan City7331109112
11Arsenal8404910-112
12West Ham UnitedWest Ham83231410411
13Newcastle UnitedNewcastle83231013-311
14Manchester UnitedMan Utd73131214-210
15Leeds UnitedLeeds83141417-310
16Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton81341114-36
17Fulham8116715-84
18West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom8035617-113
19Burnley7025312-92
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd8017414-101
Scroll for more - Tap for full version
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