Rafael Nadal wins his 9th French Open Title
Oladunjoye Opeyemi
Rafael Nadal came back from a set down to defeat Novak Djokovic 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-4 and win his record ninth French Open title.
With the victory, Nadal, who will retain the No. 1 ATP ranking, broke a four-match losing streak to Djokovic and maintained his dominance over his No. 2 rival at the Grand Slam, having now won nine of their twelve meetings at the majors.
Nadal’s win moved him into second place with Pete Sampras for most major titles amongst the men with 14 — just three titles behind Roger Federer’s mark of 17. He also extended the record he set last year to become the first man to win nine titles at any Slam.
It was an emotional match for both men, as the two held back tears during the trophy celebration. Djokovic was playing in his second French Open final and was trying to complete his career Grand Slam.
He started out well to take the first set and was the better player for a set and a half. He however, struggled physically under the Parisian sun, and a poor service game at 5-6 in the second set allowed Nadal to break and level the match.
Neither man was able to play their best tennis for the next two sets, but Nadal remained steady. With the pressure of match point for Nadal on his shoulders, Djokovic double-faulted to hand over the trophy.
