It was Rafael Nadal who made history at Roland Garros on Monday. Starting from the overnight score of 6-4, 6-3, 2-6, 1-2 Nadal won the fourth set 7-5 to defeat Novak Djokovic and claim a record seventh French Open title.
It was Rafael Nadal who made history at Roland Garros on Monday. Starting from the overnight score of 6-4, 6-3, 2-6, 1-2, Nadal won the fourth set 7-5 to defeat Novak Djokovic and claim a record seventh French Open title. (All AFP and AP Images)
Rafa denied Djokovic in his own run at history — the quest for the "Novak Slam." The Serb was trying to become the first man since Rod Laver, 43 years ago, to win four straight major titles.
With the win, Nadal broke the record of six French Open trophies that he shared with Bjorn Borg, improved to 52-1 at Roland Garros and beat the man who had defeated him in the last three Grand Slam finals.
Djokovic reeled off eight games in succession to take the third set and lead 2-0 in the fourth. Nadal had stopped the rot for 2-1 before play was suspended.
In a record fourth successive Grand Slam final between the two, and following their almost six-hour epic in Australia, Nadal swept into a two-set lead with Djokovic undone by 30 unforced errors.
Spanish world number two Nadal, playing in his 16th Grand Slam final and seeking an 11th major, went into Sunday's final with a staggering record of 51 wins against just one loss at Roland Garros.
Djokovic, the Wimbledon, US Open and Australian Open champion, is looking to emulate Don Budge (1938) and Rod Laver (1962 and 1969) by holding four majors at the same time.
The last time a French Open men's final failed to be completed on a Sunday was 1973 when it was played on the following Tuesday with Ilie Nastase beating Niki Pilic.
Three times French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten, of Brazil, and his wife Mariana, left, hold their daughter Maria Augusta before the men's final match.
