Rafael Nadal has ended his 21-month Masters title drought after outlasting Novak Djokovic in a three-set marathon at the Italian Open on Sunday.
The world No.2 overcame some stiff resistance from his Serbian nemesis to prevail 7-5, 1-6, 6-3, in Rome. Becoming the first player in history – male or female- to have won the title for a 10th time. In his latest encounter, Nadal fired five aces, 37 winners and broke Djokovic three times en route to the title.
“It’s amazing. To have this trophy for a tenth time is something impossible to imagine but it has happened,” said Nadal.
“I was lucky in some moments (this week), especially against Shapo (Denis Shapovalov).’
“I think I played a good tournament. I have played better and better, finding my rhythm on clay and I have had a very positive week. I am very happy.”
The Foro Italico is a unique tournament in the historic rivalry between Nadal and Djokovic. Their latest clash was the ninth time they have faced each other at the Italian Open which is more than any other tournament. Between them they have won 14 out of the last 16 titles in Rome and the last time neither of them featured in a final was back in 2004.
Continuing their rivalry once again, there was little to distinguish between the two tennis titans during what was a roller-coaster 74-minute opening set. Two games into the clash, Nadal found himself trailing after losing a 8-minute opening service game to go behind 0-2. However, the Spaniard responded instantly by breaking back in the next game. Then to add to the drama at 3-3 Nadal avoided a potentially nasty accident on court after getting his foot caught on the line which prompted him to fall over.
“It‘s incredible, the lines… they’re going to kill us in the end,” he said in frustration to umpire Carlos Bernardes.
Contending with some sublime defensive play from Djokovic, the slightest of blips could prove costly and so it did. Tied at 5-5, a lacklustre service game from the world No.1 enabled Nadal to seize the moment as he broke with the help of one of his signature forehand winners. Resulting in an animated Djokovic venting his anger towards his camp in the crowd. Tasked with serving the set out, Nadal continued to experience resistance from across the court. His first set point was cancelled out by a masterful Djokovic dropshot but he triumphed on his second chance with yet another forehand winner.
Prior to Rome this year, Nadal boasted an emphatic 16-1 positive record against Djokovic when winning the opening frame of their matches. Furthermore, he was the fresher of the two considering he spent over three hours less on the court than his rival on the previous day.
Nevertheless, the top seed refused to stand down. During the early stages of the second set, alarm bells started to ring for Djokovic as he was seen having some discomfort in his right shoulder. Despite this, he still managed to race through the second set with the help of a five-game streak after taking advantage of an unexpected sudden decline in Nadal’s form.
The mid-match blip served as a wake up-call for Nadal who once again elevated his level during the decider as he fended off a series of threats coming from across the court. His decisive move took place during the sixth game where he broke to love and moved ahead to a 4-2 lead. Surging towards the finish line, Nadal sealed the victory on his second championship point after a Djokovic backhand went wide.
Nadal now ties Djokovic for most Masters 1000 titles won at 36. He has won at least one of those titles in 15 out of the past 17 years.