‘King of Clay’ Nadal beats Djokovic for ninth French Open title

Rafael Nadal the
Rafael Nadal the "King of Clay"

Paris – At the French Open, there’s just no one better than Rafael Nadal. The ”King of Clay” proved that again on Sunday, winning the title at Roland Garros for the ninth time, and the fifth time in a row, by beating Novak Djokovic 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-4 in the final.

Nadal improved his record at Roland Garros to 66-1, and stretched his winning streak at the clay-court major to 35 straight. He also became the first man to win the same Grand Slam title nine times.

”For me, playing here in Roland Garros is just unforgettable, forever,” Nadal said on court.

But it didn’t look too good at the start for the top-seeded Spaniard. Djokovic won the first set and looked to be in control of nearly every point. The combination of Nadal finding his range and the heat on court, however, started to take its toll on the second-seeded Serb.

Both players used ice-filled towels to cool themselves during changeovers, but Djokovic also looked like he vomited a bit as he was heading for the first changeover in the fourth set…

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