World No. 1 Rafael Nadal held off another challenge from great rival Novak Djokovic to claim a record extending ninth French Open title. The final scoreline was 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-4.
Rafa: “For me it’s amazing and emotional, I lost the final at Australia this year where I had a problem with my back and that was a hard moment. Today tennis has given me back what happened in Australia. Playing at Roland Garros is unforgettable, I want to thank everyone here. In matches like this every moment is crucial. all the points are so hard. Playing against Novak is always a big challenge for me. Every time I have a chance with him it’s because I played to my limit.” (via BBC)
Congratulations, Rafa! You have shown us why you’re the King of Clay!
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Gtres
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Gran trabajo! mucha humildad! lucha contigo y contra tí! sobreponerse al dolor! Un gran ejemplo, en éstos tiempos que nada es verdad!
Love you Rafael, king of kings
King of kings
You’re the king of clay.l’m very proud of you.
The best part of the win was watching Nole eat humble pie!!! RAFA is the greatest and I’m happy for him. He knows now he can beat Nole. He will be awesome at Wimbleton too.
I totally agree with Roselene. Virtually every so-called “expert” predicted that Djokovic would win today. More like WISHFUL THINKING on their part, masquerading as tennis “analysis”. On NBC(in America), John McEnroe, Mary Carillo & Ted Robinson were soooooooooo anti-Rafa, that I was eventually forced to hit the MUTE button on my TV. Robinson said that “the only fans rooting for Rafa were Spaniards”. McEnroe insisted over & over & over again that Rafa was “having serious back problems, would need to call a trainer, and may have trouble finishing the match.” Carillo kept talking about Roger Federer’s “greatness”, even though Federer was not even in the stadium(or country), much less on the court, and then quoted some BLOGGER who claims that Rafa has only a “22% chance” of matching Federer’s 17 slam titles. All 3 announcers spent most of their commentary coaching & cheerleading Djokovic, while constantly TALKING DOWN Rafa’s chances of winning the match, even when he was way ahead on the scoreboard. Thank God for MUTE buttons. My only regret is that I didn’t hit it SOONER!
As for the match itself, neither player had their A-game. But, it was a great match nonetheless, because of the guts, courage & determination each player exhibited, and because of the tremendous importance of the match to both players. The pressure of the moment, the hot weather, and most of all, Rafa’s game, eventually got the better of Djokovic. Rafa won because he played THE BIG POINTS exceedingly well after the first set, and Djokovic did not. It’s really no more complicated than that.
In the slams, Rafa is now 9-3 versus Djokovic, 7-2 versus Murray, 8-2 versus Federer. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – Rafa is the GOAT. No other male player in history has dominated his top rivals in big matches as much as Rafa has. In fact, it’s not even close.
If Rafa wins Wimbledon one more time, he’ll be the only male player in history to have the “triple triple” – at least 3 slams titles on each of the 3 different surfaces. Currently, he and Mats Wilander are the only 2 male players in history who have the “triple double” – at least 2 slam titles on 3 different surfaces. And, if Rafa wins one more Australian Open, he’ll be the only male player in history to have won TWO CAREER SLAMS during the Open Era(1968-present).
Yes, Rafa is indeed, the GOAT. And it won’t be long before even his biggest detractors will be forced to admit it. VAMOS!!!
Thank you for your comment! Great stats! Vamos Rafa!
FELICIDADES Rafa. could not follow all the match, just the end. So happy for you and your team/family. continua asi a ver si tienes exito en wimbledon. eres fenomenal.