Nadal dominated top-ranked Novak Djokovic for his 13th championship at Roland Garros.
Rafael Nadal tied Roger Federer with 20 Grand Slam titles by producing a nearly perfect performance against Novak Djokovic in the French Open final. Nadal equaled long-time rival Federer for the most major singles tennis championships won by a man and added to his own record at Roland Garros with No.13 on the red clay, courtesy of a surprisingly dominant 6-0,6-2,7-5 victory over the No.1-ranked Djokovic on Sunday. “What you are doing in this court is unbelievable. Not just this court — throughout your entire career, you’ve been a great champion,” Djokovic told Nadal during the trophy presentation. “Today you showed why you are King of the Clay.” When Nadal ended it with an ace, he dropped to his knees, smiled widely and pumped his arms. It’s the fourth time he’s won his favorite tournament without ceding a set. “The love story that I have with this city, and with this court, is unforgettable,” Nadal said. He deflected a question during the on-court, post-match interview about catching Federer, saying his focus remained squarely on the French Open. “(To) win here means everything to me, no? It’s not the moment, honestly… (to) think today about the 20th,” Nadal said. “Roland Garros means everything to me. I spent, here, the most important moments — or most of the most important moments — in my tennis career, no doubt about that.” Nadal, No.2 in the rankings, improved to 100-2 at the French Open, including a combined 26-0 in semifinals and finals, and picked up his fourth consecutive title in Paris. The 34-year-old left-hander from Spain previously put together streaks of four French Open championships from 2005-08, then five in a row from 2010-14, to go alongside his four trophies at the U.S. Open, two at Wimbledon and one at the Australian Open. Nadal is now even with Federer for the first time since each man had zero Slams to his name in 2003. Federer’s first arrived at Wimbledon that year; Nadal, naturally, earned his first in France in 2005, by which point he trailed 4-0. Djokovic’s loss left him at 17 majors; had he won, the trio’s standings would have read 20-19-18. “It’s honestly a pleasure — in some ways it’s a pleasure — sharing this great era of tennis together,” Nadal said.
