PHOTOS: Rafael Nadal wins fourth Rogers Cup title

World No. 1 Rafael Nadal has beaten Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2, 7-6(4) to be crowned 2018 Rogers Cup champion in Toronto.

Following a week of frustrating rain delays in Toronto, Sunday final was played under clear skies.

Rafa overcame a late service break and fought off a set point at Aviva Centre. He converted his first match point of the tiebreaker to end it.

Our champ was the top seed in the tourney and the win constitutes his 33rd ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title and the 80th trophy of his career.

If you told me this two weeks ago I would not have believed it. It’s a great way to start the hard-court season. Winning in Toronto is so important. You don’t win Masters 1000s very often. It’s a very important victory for me and I’m very happy.

The birthday boy Stefanos beat Damir Dzumhur, Dominic Thiem, Novak Djokovic, and Kevin Anderson en route to the final, but found the Spaniard to be a bridge too far.

Congratulations, Rafa!

57 comments

  1. Rafa on his Toronto title: “The 80th tournament win is of course a great number, an important one. I’m very happy. But it’s about another Masters 1000. Masters 1000s are tournaments that are so difficult to win, sometimes are even more difficult to win Masters 1000s than Grand Slams because you can’t avoid tough opponents. And that’s it.”
    [Source: ATP Staff]

    Rafa’s not only a great champion, and a pretty face with a body to die for but he’s got brains to back all of that up. For those who do it, try to remember Rafa’s unequivocal words before making accusations of draw fixing; “you can’t avoid tough opponents.”

    Rafa speaks his mind, especially if he feels someone is tarnishing the image of tennis. I don’t doubt if Rafa thought match fixing were going on he would let it be known.

    Rafa’s loyalty to family and friends is well documented. And his loyalty to tennis is unquestionable; a sport that he believes has given him so much.

    It is Rafa who has given so much of his blood, sweat and tears to his fans and to the world of tennis.

    RAFA IS LIKE NO OTHER

  2. Rafa what a game so well played from all accounts above,

    as I did not see it.

    “”I think that it is VERY wise pulling out of Cincinnati,

    Time for rest at home and relaxation,

    Love,

    AlaineXXSydneyXXAustraliaXX

  3. Thrilled to see Rafa lift his 33rd Masters in Toronto. Well- deserved brilliant performances all week. Makes up a bit for his Wimbledon loss to Djokovic. No Cincy – wise decision. Looking forward to the US open. Vamos. 18th GS ? That would be simply awesome & inspirational.

    • Rafa just announced that he was withdrawing from Cincy. That is a wise decision since Rafa was exhausted. It is a recognition that he is 32 not 23. In his statement, Rafa also said that playing Davis Cup so soon after the USO was a factor too. I think even an easier draw would still have resulted in this call. But Rafa had one of the worst draws possible. He only loses a few points.

      • Very wise decision made by Team Rafa. I had completely forgotten about Davis Cup.

        To be honest I was expecting it but probably because I started to worry about too much play, day after day, without Rafa giving his body sufficient time to heal. I’m hardly an expert but knowing the wear and tear tennis exerts on the body I didn’t think a week between Cincy and the US Open would have been long enough for his body to recuperate. I will miss him but two weeks are a lot better than two months.

        I miss Rafa already but seeing him healthy is the only way to go forward.

        RAFA ROCKS

  4. Congratulations Rafa. You’re the best. Hopefully Laureus recognizes you this year. Inspite of finishing No.1 year end they chose Federee last yaar. Not valid. You’re the best!!

  5. Loved the crowd singing Happy Birthday to Stefanos – the Canadians are bloomin’ lovely! Stefanos is a cool guy, it seems. Fun on court and easy to cheer for – when he’s not playing Rafa 🙂 He’s a bit erratic now but he’s got confidence and guts and he’ll go far.

    Also, *so* funny that as soon as Rafa got off court – before he’d even sorted his trainer laces – he had his phone out to check the golf scores!! The camera was waiting for him to sign the lens, and he started laughing and explained “I was just seeing how Tiger was doing”. Rafa is possibly more obsessed with sport than we are with Rafa XD

    What do you think Rafa’s going to spend his $1,020,425 on? Olives? Dental work for all the trophies he’s bitten?

  6. UN VERDADERO CAMPEÓN LLENO DE HUMILDAD Y SIMPATÍA. DESCANSA UN POCO Y DIVIÉRTETE ENTRE CAMPEONATOS. TE MERECES TODO.

  7. VAMOS SWEETHEART ON YOUR BEAUTIFUL EXTRAORDINARY EIGHTEENTH SINGLES TITLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! VAMOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) ENJOY AND HAVE A BEAUTIFUL WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

      • I think it was simply a case of writing 80th as “eighteenth” rather than “eightieth”. Easy to do with all the excitement 🙂

      • Generous of you considering she’s trying to shame another fan and can’t keep her mind off of Roger. You being polite doesn’t make her any less offensive, to me anyway. I’m going back to my Rafa praises.

        RAFAMAZING ROCKS

      • LOL Good question. Her raison d’être is to come here to insult Roger, the press, commentators, et al.

        RAFA ROCKS

  8. Wow I am so thrilled for Rafa. That tie-break was such a nail-biter. Thankfully, Rafa got the job done in 2 sets or the 3rd set would have turned into a Davis Cup atmosphere.

    Congrats to Stephanos for making it to the final by defeating all those top 10 guys. Happy birthday, to him as well. He’s not a teen-ager anymore.

    Congrats to Rafa for winning his 33rd ATP 1000 title. What can I say, Rafa converted so easily from clay to grass to hard courts this year. . I think that’s simply remarkable! I hope he is able to celebrate with his team before going to Cincy! He has such a great team around him.

    • THAT’S ANOTHER ONE WHO WRITES UNDER DIFFERENT NAMES HERE…..POLLUTING THIS FAN SITE…..SHAME ON YOU!

      • We’re all here having fun congratulating Rafa on his title, feeling good and wishing him well. You stop your pollution with your spam and insulting other players. GGEEEZZZZ

        And any irregularities should be reported to RNF, not us.

        Now try to play nice.

  9. A huge Congratulations Rafa on your win in Toronto 🎾💪🏼😍🏆🍁
    Very happy for you. – Great job sweet champ 🤗🥇❤️

    • 🤗👏🍀🎾 Soo happy for Rafa.

      I was excited to read that firefighters were hosing down elephants at Cirkus Arena in Gilleleje. It’s hot everywhere. Are you near there. I LOVE elephants. Incredibly smart animals.

      RAFA ROCKS

      • LOL Alex, you had me going there for a minute. I sent that question to Rafantastic who is Danish. Thought my eyews were seeing things. Jaja [LOL in Spanish]

        I would gamble pretty good at tennis. Of course, it goes without saying, not as good as Rafa. But who is? Didn’t you see Timba playing tennis on YouTube?

        RAFA ROCKS

      • Oh woooow Margo, I had no idea that existed until I looked up that reference and found the ATP vid! How sweet! Gosh I think Rafa would *love* to play against elephants; he’s such a cutey about animals.
        I noticed that Timba & partner were playing on a clay court, so obvs there’s a slight adv for Nadal there. So even though he’d be up against 2 elephants, I think he’d squeak a win. Still “a very tough opponents”, though.

      • LOL LMAO Another bad draw. Now he’s gotta play two.

        As long as the elephants stay on their side of the net I think Rafa would be fine. I was super surprised to see him holding a koala in Australia at a photo op.

        Two elephants no problem. RNF recently posted a picture of Rafa practicing. What it didn’t show was that Rafa was playing against TWO so Rafa would probably have an easy SS win against the pachyderms.😂

        You can’t blame them for trying, they “have a plan.”😹

      • No I’m from “Jylland” (Jutland), Margo 😊 – Gilleleje is in “Sjælland“ (Zealand… is it called that?) 🤔😄
        I have seen the elephants some years back though, when Arena was in my town. – Magnificent animals. The hosing of the elephants is a tradition of Circus Arena, but this year it’s the last time because it isn’t allowed to have elephants in cirkus anymore. – I’m glad actually. I think the wild animals are better off in their natural environment 🐘🌴🦒☀️ I love giraffs, they’re such beautiful animals 😍 It sure has been a very hot summer 🌞 The hottets summer for a long time here i Denmark 🇩🇰🍦😅🍹 – Now it’s raining ☔️

        RAFA TOTALLY ROCKS! 🎾🤗

      • Hi Rafantastic, “artiste extraordinaire” of RNF.would let it be known.

        Re your “Sjælland” are you telling me the udtale [pronunciation] is like Zealand? If yes, “pronunciation” is the noun form, “to pronounce” is the verb. If your answer is no, try to explain what you meant and I’ll try to help.

        Giraffes are striking animals, even more so when walking or running, they are so graceful. Beautiful and gentle animals. I was saddened to learn about Marius.

        I had no idea there are 3 or 4 species of giraffe. I thought they were all the same.

        I agree about wild animals. And sadly many are not safe in their own environments. Cecile the lion is just one example. Søhest aren’t safe either.

        About this very hot summer… I was worried about Rafa playing in the states. Today Cincy has high temperatures, high humidity and zero wind. Not healthy to be playing 🎾 in that kind of weather. I like anything from 45-60F.

        And now it’s raining here too. LOL

        RAFA TOTALLY ROCKS

      • Correction: Please delete “would let it be known. I have no idea how that happened, it was part of a different comment. I may have to have my computer checked.

        RAFA TOTALLY ROCKS

      • Rafantastic, Thank you, yes, Sjælland is spelled Zealand in English (I had to look it up). I misunderstood and thought you were giving me the pronunciation, how to pronounce it.

        I will just pronounce it Sjælland, easier for me. Sounds nicer too. I’m going to have to call you Danish Language Professor Rafantastic. LOL

        RAFAMAZING ROCKS

      • Thank you, Margo 😊🌸 for the new distinguished “title” 💁🏼‍♀️😉

        Re “Sjælland” – I Googled it and it was translated to “Zealand” in English. I quess it’s the easiest way to pronounse it in english as the danish letters “æ – ø – å” are kinda tricky to say in english? (Like the danish sentense: “Rød grød med fløde” LOL 😜) – Did it made sense? 🤔

        😍🌴🦒🦒🌳🐘🐘🌵🦓🦓☀️

      • LOL 😄 Yes Margo, computers do have a tendency to “lead their own life” sometimes 🙄👩🏼‍💻🤨⁉️🙃😉

  10. Amazing Rafa!! There will be no other like Rafa in the sport ever!!!!! He is the only player that makes my heart beat in a match. On top of that he is noble, humble and a gentleman.

    Thank you for being who you are!!!

    • I second this!

      Although sometimes, I think the way he makes my heart beat requires medical attention… XD

    • Not from me.

      Do you think he should skip Cincy to be super fresh for the US OPEN? As it is now, he has only two days before he plays his next match granted that he plays on Wednesday.

      If he makes it to the final in Cincy he will be exhausted?

      AND what is a FederSquirrel?

      RAFA ROCKS

      • He has decided to skip Cinci, I’d have preferred to see him play because he didn’t look brutally lethal. He was hitting too many shots short. Against a weaker guy like Tsitsipas who’s not that experienced, Rafa can still win, but not against Novak and Roger… Those two will turn a weak shot into winners.

        A FederSquirrel is a mental Federer fan. Squirrels like nuts and those fans hug Federer’s nuts so tight that there’s nothing else you can call them but a FederSquirrel. My calling them that intends no disrespect to the good Federer fans, As I am a fan of Federer too, just less than Rafa. All players have their idiot fans. Novak’s are called Chokotrolls. Chokotrolls and FederSquirrels call Rafa fans Rafatards.

    • ahahaha yeah so childish but I am the same! XD

      I wonder if there was a Rafas cup…would Roger win it?!

      • If there was a Rafas cup,it would be on clay and Roger would run away like he did this year and last.

    • Rafan, NOT at all. He’s missed so much because of injuries any VAMOS is music to my ears..

      RAFA ROCKS

  11. Congrats you are the finest grand slam champion in the world.
    That was so gracious of you to give your opponent his first serve again.
    Such great sportsmanship!🌸

  12. Congrats champ Rafa!!! Yipeeeee!!! I thk n praise God for this tough journey you’ve been through. Great job!@!!. Cheers ❤❤🤗🤗

  13. VAMOS SWEETHEART!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR BEAUTIFUL VICTORY OUR FAVORITE SENIOR CHAMP !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) VAMOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) VAMOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) VAMOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) GREAT MATCH WITH EXCELLENCE AND BEAUTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) AFTER YOU, I ADORE STEFANOS TSITSIPAS AND LIKE YOU, HE IS A CLASS ACT AND SO GENUINE OUT THERE ON THE COURT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEFANOS….THIS WAS A GIFT TO PLAY AGAINST THE BEST EVER WORLD NUMBER ONE RAFA NADAL AND WE WISH YOU MANY BIRTHDAY WISHES AND LOVE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : )
    VAMOS DEAR RAFA AND MUCH LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) VERY HAPPY FOR YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) ENJOY SWEETHEART AND CELEBRATE AND ENJOY EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) YOUR 4 FOUR ACES WERE BEAUTIFUL BUT EVEN WITH OUT THE ACES….YOUR SERVE GAME IS BRILLIANT AND SOLID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) WE LOVED HOW YOU RAN ALL OVER COVERING EVERY CENTIMETER AND REACHING EACH BALL …..BEAUTIFUL BRIGHT RETURNS…..AND CLASSY VOLLEYS…… AND THAT BEAUTIFUL FACE OF YOUR …….VAMOS & CONGRATULATIONS SWEETHEART!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) A GREAT HARD COURT 1000 TITLE…….VAMOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) WE LOVE YOU AND SENDING LOTS OF LOVE & HAPPINESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) HAVE A BEAUTIFUL EVENING AND ENJOY YOUR DAYS BETWEEN TOURS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) VAMOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) VAMOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) VAMOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) WE LOVE YOU!!!! : ) XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

  14. RAH RAH RAFA

    And I want to keep hearing him yell “VAMOS”.

    THRILLING CAPTIVATING MESMERIZING HYPNOTIC RAFA IS THE ONE

    RAFA ROCKS

  15. Rafaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!

    Στις Κυρ, 12 Αυγ 2018, 23:55 ο χρήστης Rafael Nadal Fans έγραψε:

    > Rafael Nadal Fans posted: “World No. 1 Rafael Nadal has beaten Stefanos > Tsitsipas 6-2, 7-6(4) to be crowned 2018 Rogers Cup champion in Toronto. > Following a week of frustrating rain delays in Toronto, Sunday final was > played under clear skies. Our champ was the top seed in the to” >

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