Rafael Nadal weathered a resurgent fight from Djokovic to claim the Italian title for the tenth time. The final scorecard stood at 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 in the favor of Nadal.
Rafael Nadal Is Still At The Top
Novak Djokovic is currently holding the number one spot in the world. His record against Rafael Nadal stood at 29-27 with an advantage for the Slovak. However, the clay surface is Nadal’s favorite. As such, Djokovic could not stand up to the Spaniard.
Rafael Nadal had won nine times previously here in Rome. But this time around his victory came after a tough fight. His biggest rival made him dig quite deep to come out on top. Especially since for Nadal, the season has been disappointing on clay courts. Rafael Nadal had suffered unexpected defeats in Madrid and Monte Carlo. As such, this Foro Italico victory will boost Rafael Nadal’s confidence as he looks to defend his title at the French Open.
In the first game, Rafael Nadal had fought off a point for a break with a small drop shot. However, Djokovic continued pressing and completed the break when a backhand from Nadal got caught up in the tramlines. The Spaniard’s frustration built up after his serve was surrendered. However, it did not take long for him to hit back. Djokovic almost immediately hit his backhand wide and Nadal had the break back.
Foro Italico was far from being filled up to the brim. However, there was no lack of noise from those present. Especially as they got to see Nadal tumble in game number seven as he made an astounding passing shot.
The weather was closer to that in late autumn than in late spring. As such, the fizzing topspin of Nadal was not very suitable. Nadal got the better of nervousness on this occasion to complete his victory this time around.
