Nadal breaks the record as the all-time men's single slam title winner at Roland Garros.
by Alessandra Puglisi
Picture by Nicholas Gouhier from the official website of Roland Garros
The thrilling conclusion of the French Open tournament in Paris, better known as Roland Garros, came knocking at the door of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. The two tennis stars faced each other once again on the red clay of the court Philippe-Chatrier, ready to fight for dominance.
The match saw an undoubtable superiority in the Mallorcan, Rafael Nadal, at the expense of the Serbian champion Djokovic. There were very few moments during the final where Novak seemed really in charge of the match, mostly succumbing to the precise and brilliant tennis played by his opponent.
Rafael Nadal does not need introductions and neither does his style of play, with a vicious left forehand and great athleticism, Nadal is able to construct his game and win point after point.
The commendable career of the Spanish champion now counts 20 Grand Slam titles, of which 13 on the red clay of Roland Garros.
Yesterday, Nadal added another trophy to his collection, setting the record as the man with the all-time single slam victories. What’s more, he has now managed to equal Roger Federer in numbers of Grand Slams won.
Picture by Nicholas Gouhier from the official website of Roland Garros
Upon receiving the trophy, Nadal thanked the public for supporting the sport during these tough times and his team for sticking by his side; he then remembered his long history with the tournament and declared that it is always inspiring for him to play at Roland Garros.
Novak Djokovic gracefully accepted the second place and admitted that he was not satisfied with his own performance, but recognized that Rafa outplayed him thorough the whole match.
Earlier this year, Djokovic faced Nadal while representing Serbia in the ATP Cup, achieving six victories in singles and two in doubles and defeating the Mallorcan in the final.
He then went on to win the Australian Open in Melbourne, setting the record as an eight-time winner of the tournament, and continued collecting titles at the Dubai Tennis Championship, the Western & Southern Open in New York and the Italian Open in Rome.
After Nadal’s admission that the delayed French Open left him to face tougher weather conditions than anticipated, Djokovic said that Nadal's uncertainty might have given him a bigger chance to win.
However, the Mallorcan played spectacular tennis during the entire tournament, with only minimal struggle and, after this much-awaited victory, there is no doubt that Rafael Nadal has truly earned the nickname ‘King of Clay’.
