Rafael Nadal wins French Open – Once again!

If Roland Garros was a kingdom, Rafael Nadal would undoubtedly be its king, the undefeated King. The world number one seeded Spaniard clinched his ninth French Open title and fifth consecutive Slam beating Novak Djokovic by 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-4 on Sunday. He is now tied with legendary Pete Sampras for 14 Grand Slam title overall, just three behind the leading man Roger Federer.

Rafael Nadal

The 3 hour 30 minute long match was definitely not the classic fight tennis fans have come to expect from these two. Djokovic seemed to be physically struggling against the heat and even vomited during the fourth set. Nonetheless it was a tough battle under the hot and humid Parisian climate. Rafael Nadal was coming from a four match losing streak against Djokovic, the last being the final at Rome. Though Djokovic seemed to be dominating the first one and a half set, Nadal was slowly yet steadily gaining over his opponent and by the end of the fourth set he had proven that he rules the clay court!

With this title, Rafael Nadal extended his single Slam haul to 9, becoming the first and the only player to have won as many titles in any of the four major titles.

Novak Djokovic

“I played at the maximum of my power, my strength, and my capability,” Djokovic said, “but Rafa was the best player on the court.”

Nadal’s win here once again denied Djokovic from completing his career Grand Slam. Earlier in 2013 Nadal beat him in the semifinals and before that in 2012 in the final of French Open. Nadal leads Djokovic 6-0 in French Open and 23-19 in total.

“I knew I had lost four times in a row to Novak, and to be able to win again against him was very important to me,” Nadal said. “I had enough courage. I made the right decisions at the right moment and ended up on top. It’s an emotional moment, a real mix of things.”

In the women’s final, Maria Sharapova defeated Simona Halep to win the trophy.

Photos: Internet

Krishnaveni Ilanthirayan

2nd M.A. Mass Communication