Nadal wins Rome Masters 1000, setting him up perfectly ahead of the French Open
Rafael Nadal has been missing an ATP title all year, but he got his first on clay in Rome, just one week away from Roland Garros.
Like this time last year, Rafael Nadal won the final at the Rome Masters event, an impressive setup heading into the French Open next week. But his confidence during the clay season has been questionable. Rafa had dominated on clay last spring for the second year in a row, collecting his 11th titles at both the 2018 Monte Carlo Masters and Barcelona tourneys before steamrolling to wins at the Rome Masters and Roland Garros.
A knee injury plagued the 32 year-old ‘king of clay,’ this year, however, stopping short the momentum Nadal had gained making the Australian Open final at the beginning of the year. An early exit at the Mexico Open after the Melbourne grand slam and a withdrawal from another rival matchup with Federer in Miami, left fans doubting his condition.
Rafael Nadal entered this year’s clay season in a defensive mood, having to vindicate his performance in Monte Carlo, Barcelona, and Madrid, where he was ousted by a reslient Fabio Fognini, and two younger players Dominic Thiem and Stefano Tsitsipas, all in semi-finals.
“I have not played well enough,” admitted a dejected Nadal, after losing to Tsitsipas in Madrid. “I’ve won a lot for many years on this surface but this year it hasn’t been like that.”
The Spanish tennis legend has been assuring fans that he’s been progressing at each tournament and that he’s been improving since the injury that stalled his hard court season earlier in the year. At the Rome Open, he made good on that promise, first avenging his previous loss to Tsitsipas in Madrid, and then defeating his great rival, Novak Djokovic in the Rome final, 6-0, 4-6, 6-1.
“You were asking for titles? Finally, I have a title,” Nadal said, still sounding a bit defensive. “For me, the most important thing is feel myself playing well and feel myself healthy, with the energy that I need. If that happens, experience is that I going to fight for titles sooner or later, no? The main thing for me was recover my level, then the results should be there if that happens. Today was that case.”
Rafa’s evened up the head-to-head between him and Djokovic, with 26 wins to 28 for Nole. It was their 54th matchup, one more than there have been Super Bowls. In all their storied skirmishes, not once has either player bageled the other. That changed today. Rafa not only did it in the first set, but he almost did it in the third as well, with Djokovic fighting to get one game on the board.
“I’m really glad that I managed to get into the third set, considering the first set where I was blown away from the court,” said Djokovic after the match. “He’s been playing some terrific tennis throughout the entire week. He was just too strong today.”
Of the Big Three, Roger Federer has won two ATP titles this year, Djokovic won the first grand slam as well as the Mutua Madrid Masters. Only Federer, Djokovic, and Thiem have won more than one ATP title this year. Rome was Nadal’s first of the year, but it placed him above everyone in the Masters 1000 count, with 34 over Djokovic’s 33.
Most important for the legendary Rafael Nadal is that he looked as strong as ever as he gets ready to defend his title at the French Open. He will be gunning for a baker’s dozen there. And we all know that Rafa has all the right ingredients.
The French Open begins Sunday, May 26.