Unbeaten Champions: Krawietz/Mies Claim Second Straight Roland Garros Title
Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies captured their second straight Roland Garros doubles title on Saturday, beating US Open champions Mate Pavic and Bruno Soares 6-3, 7-5.
The German pair extended their unbeaten record at the clay-court Grand Slam championship to 12-0, saving all five break points they faced to triumph in 89 minutes. On their tournament debut last year, Krawietz and Mies became the first all-German team in the Open Era to capture a Grand Slam men’s doubles trophy.
“It is hard to describe what is going through our heads right now. It is unbelievable,” said Mies. “I think this achievement is even bigger than winning last year. To win a Grand Slam title is always big, but to defend it is even more difficult. It is incredible that we did and we are unbelievably happy right now. We cannot believe it.
“It took a while last year to let it sink in, it took probably until coming back here at the beginning of the tournament to realise it. Now to win it again is unbelievable.”
Krawietz and Mies returned with aggression throughout the championship match. The eighth seeds earned a single break in each set, with Krawietz notably mixing pace and precision on his forehand to break through Pavic and Soares at the net. The Germans dropped to the clay after Soares netted a forehand on their second championship point.
“In the moment we won the match point, it was a such a big relief,” said Mies. “It was such a close game. I wish I could have served it out easier, but it was difficult. Of course, you have some nerves in the end, but we are super happy to win it again and [I am] super proud of us as a team and proud of everyone involved.”
Krawietz and Mies are only the fourth team in the Open Era to win back-to-back Roland Garros crowns. The four-time tour-level titlists are the first pair to achieve the feat since Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor in 2012.
Back-To-Back Roland Garros Men’s Doubles Champions
| Team | Years |
| Yevgeny Kafelnikov/Daniel Vacek | 1996-97 |
| Jonas Bjorkman/Max Mirnyi | 2005-06 |
| Max Mirnyi/Daniel Nestor | 2011-12 |
| Kevin Krawietz/Andreas Mies | 2019-20 |
Krawietz and Mies dropped just one set en route to the title. The two-time Roland Garros titlists earned three consecutive victories against seeded opposition from the quarter-final stage, having beaten 13th seeds Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski and ninth seeds Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic to reach the championship match. The pair has lost a combined three sets across their 12 victories on the Parisian terre battue.
“To be a part of the history is always a bonus point,” said Krawietz. “Of course, we like to hear that we wrote history today… We are super proud of it. No losses here at Roland Garros is crazy.”
Just six months ago, the Germans could not have imagined they would be standing in Paris with their second major crown. During the ATP Tour suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mies helped deliver fruit to at-risk communities through his association with the Special Olympics. Krawietz woke up at 5 a.m. to stack shelves at a local supermarket in Munich.
Pavic and Soares were also attempting to clinch their second Grand Slam title as a team. Last month, the Croatian-Brazilian tandem earned their maiden major title as a pair at the US Open.
Pavic and Soares beat two of the top three seeded teams en route to the final. The seventh seeds overcame Australian Open champions Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury in the quarter-finals and top seeds Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah in the semi-finals.
“[It was] another great run,” said Soares on court. “Hopefully we get a chance next year to go one further.”
With their victory against Pavic and Soares, Krawietz and Mies become only the third and fourth German players to win multiple major doubles titles. The team joins Claudia Kohde-Kilsch and Philipp Petzschner in the exclusive club.
German Multiple Grand Slam Doubles Champions
| Player | Titles | Events |
| Claudia Kohde-Kilsch | 2 | 1985 US Open, 1987 Wimbledon |
| Philipp Petzschner | 2 | 2010 Wimbledon, 2011 US Open |
| Kevin Krawietz | 2 | 2019-20 Roland Garros |
| Andreas Mies | 2 | 2019-20 Roland Garros |
Krawietz and Mies earn 2,000 FedEx ATP Doubles Ranking points and split €319,652 in prize money. Pavic and Soares collect 1,200 points and share €188,030.