Rafael Nadal defeats Novak Djokovic to make it perfect 10 in Italian Open
- Nadal beat Djokovic 7-5, 1-6, 6-3
- Spaniard happy with form before French Open defence
Rafael Nadal warmed up for the French Open with a battling 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 win over world No 1 Novak Djokovic as the Spaniard claimed a record-extending 10th Italian Open title in Rome on Sunday in the latest chapter of their rivalry.
After a mid-match wobble, Nadal turned up the heat in the decisive moments of his 57th meeting with top seed Djokovic – the pair’s ninth in Rome – to secure the victory over the defending champion in two hours and 49 minutes.
“I was lucky in some moments, especially against [Denis] Shapovalov,” Nadal said, referring to the last-16 match he won in a tiebreak in the decider.
“And then I think I played a good tournament, I have been playing better and better, finding my rhythm on clay. I had a very positive week and I’m very happy.
“It’s amazing to have this trophy in my hands for the 10th time. It’s something impossible to imagine but it happened so I’m super happy and can’t thank my team enough.”
Nadal broke to go ahead 6-5 in a tight opening set and staved off a late comeback attempt from Djokovic to take the early advantage in the contest with a searing inside-out forehand that caught the Serbian off guard.
But Djokovic, who lost to Nadal in their previous meeting in the Roland Garros final last year, pounced in the second set to race ahead 5-1 as the Spaniard’s intensity dropped and quickly levelled the match.
Second seed Nadal then saved two break points at 2-2 in the decider and fired an emphatic shot down the line to hold, before switching gears to complete the win and match Djokovic’s record of 36 ATP Masters 1000 titles.
Nadal will now target a 14th French Open crown when the grand slam begins on 30 May.
Tennis-Nadal overcomes blip to scythe down Djokovic in Rome final
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Nadal will now target a 14th French Open crown when the claycourt Grand Slam begins on May 30.
Rafael Nadal
.jpg) Nadal during a training session in Doha, 2013
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| Full name | Rafael Nadal Parera |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  |
| Residence | Manacor, Mallorca, Spain |
| Born | 3 June 1986 Manacor, Mallorca, Spain |
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[1][2] |
| Turned pro | 2001 |
| Plays | Left-handed (two-handed backhand), born right-handed |
| Coach | Toni Nadal (2005–2017) Francisco Roig (2005–) Carlos Moyá (2016–) |
| Prize money | US$124,181,960 |
| Official website | rafaelnadal.com |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 1022–207 (83.2% in ATP Tour and Grand Slam main draw matches, and in Davis Cup; 1st in the Open Era) |
| Career titles | 88 (4th in the Open Era) |
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (18 August 2008) |
| Current ranking | No. 3 (10 May 2021)[3] |
| Grand Slam Singles results | |
| Australian Open | W (2009) |
| French Open | W (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020) |
| Wimbledon | W (2008, 2010) |
| US Open | W (2010, 2013, 2017, 2019) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Tour Finals | F (2010, 2013) |
| Olympic Games | W (2008) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 137–74 (64.9% in ATP Tour and Grand Slam main draw matches, and in Davis Cup) |
| Career titles | 11 |
| Highest ranking | No. 26 (8 August 2005) |
| Current ranking | No. 510 (10 May 2021)[4] |
| Grand Slam Doubles results | |
| Australian Open | 3R (2004, 2005) |
| Wimbledon | 2R (2005) |
| US Open | SF (2004) |
| Other doubles tournaments | |
| Olympic Games | W (2016) |
| Team competitions | |
| Davis Cup | W (2004, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2019) |
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Medal record
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| Last updated on: 15 May 2021. | ||||||||||||||
Rafael “Rafa” Nadal Parera (Catalan: [rəf(ə)ˈɛl nəˈðal pəˈɾeɾə], Spanish: [rafaˈel naˈðal paˈɾeɾa];[5] born 3 June 1986) is a Spanish professional tennis player. He is ranked world No. 3 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), has been ranked No. 1 in the ATP rankings for 209 weeks, and has finished as the year-end No. 1 five times. Nadal has won 20 Grand Slam men’s singles titles, an all-time record shared with Roger Federer and 36 Masters 1000 men’s single title, an all-time record shared with Novak Djokovic.
His 13 French Open titles in particular are a record at any tournament. Nadal’s dominance on clay is also highlighted by 62 of his 88 ATP singles titles coming on the surface, including 26 of his 36 ATP Masters titles, and his 81 consecutive wins on clay is the longest single-surface win streak in the Open Era.
From childhood through most of his professional career, Nadal was coached by his uncle Toni. He was one of the most successful teenagers in ATP Tour history, reaching No. 2 in the world at age 19 and winning 16 titles, including his first French Open and six Masters events. Nadal became No. 1 for the first time in 2008 after his first major victory off clay against the longtime top-ranked Federer, his main rival through 2010, in a historic Wimbledon final. He also won an Olympic gold medal in singles that year in Beijing, and then completed the career Grand Slam at the 2010 US Open in the only year where he won three majors. With his Olympic gold medal, he is also one of only two male players to complete the career Golden Slam.
In the next decade, Novak Djokovic emerged as Nadal’s primary rival. The two have faced each other 57 times (including nine major finals), the most in men’s Open Era history. Since Djokovic defeated Nadal in three consecutive major finals between the 2011 and 2012 French Open tournaments, Nadal has struggled at Wimbledon and has not won another Australian Open. He has continued his dominance at the French Open by winning at least four consecutive titles a second and a third time, while also winning three more US Open titles. He tied Federer’s record for the most Grand Slam men’s singles titles at the 2020 French Open.
Nadal is the only left-handed member of the Big Three. One of his main strengths is his forehand, which he routinely hits with extremely heavy topspin at difficult angles to return. He is one of the best at breaking serve, regularly appearing among the tour leaders in percentage of return games, return points, and break points won. Nadal has won the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award four times, and was the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year in 2011 and 2021. Representing Spain, he has an Olympic gold medal in both singles and doubles. He has also led the Spain Davis Cup team to five titles while playing alongside fellow top 10 players including David Ferrer and his future coach Carlos Moyá. Outside of competing, Nadal opened a tennis academy in his hometown of Mallorca, and is also an active philanthropist.
