A Ninth For Nadal As Novak Goes Down Fighting
A Ninth For Nadal As Novak Goes Down Fighting
Novak Djokovic was unable to beat the Nadal magic as the 2014 French Open Mens Singles Championship came to an end. Coupe des Mousquetaires is the official name of the French Open and Nadal was the official winner this year. Rafael Nadal's 3-6, 7-5,6-2 and 6-4 victory has given the 28 year old his 14th Grand Slam title on June 8th. Nadal has also won his ninth French Open.
If Sharapova and Halep battled for 3 hours, Nadal and Djokovic battled for an additional 31 minutes. Nadal now has only 3 more Grand Slam titles to attain before he gets to beat arch rival Roger Federer. Nadal could have notched one win at the Australian open if his back had not acted up as he battled Swiss sensation Stan Wawrinka.
Nadal stated that the French Open win was a success that compensated for what happened in Australia. The road to Roland Garros was not smooth for Rafeal who struggled with 3 unprecedented defeats prior to the French triumph. Nadal fell to David Ferrer in Monte Carlo and Nicolas Almagro in Barcelona. The third was to Djokovic in Rome. But the tables turned this time and how.
Djokovic would have won his fourth straight victory over Nadal had he triumphed on June 8th. At the clay-court tournament, Djokovic's steel met with Nadal's fire and the result was a remarkable match. Nadal was able to retain his number 1 rank wrested from Djokovic last year. Djokovic was also unable to join the 7 man club of those who have won all 4 Grand Slam singles titles.
Roland Garros has proved to be a challenge for many players this year. Djokovic's new coach Boris Becker in fact, won every other major title with the exception of this. Djokovic will try again and the rivalry will be played out in many matches to come.
Spanish player Nadal coped with the hot condition quite well. Global warming as well as stiff competition from Djokovic proved to be a combination Nadal could handle with ease. For those wondering about Nadal's success, here are the winning numbers the Spanish player has notched up: 9 Roland Garros singles titles, first winner of 5 successive French Open titles, 14 Grand Slam titles, winning streak of 35 matches and 3 clay-court titles in 2014 alone.
This win ensures that the World Number 1 was able to retain his title and rank both. Nadal acknowledged that playing against Nadal was a massive challenge. The stifling Parisian afternoon was also a challenge, no doubt.
Nadal now has 66 Roland Garros wins and just one defeat in the decade. Rafael Nadal is now just 67 days older than Roger Federer when he has won his 14th Grand Slam title. With temperatures soaring to 27 degree Celsius, Novak was the firs to ask for iced towels. When cloud cover have him some respite from the sun, he tried to launch a renewed attack only to falter at a later point in the match.
Nadal and Djokovic were a terrific pair of contenders and the fight alone made it a worthy match, never mind whether it was a final or not. Both players had their set of challenges. Winning or losing is not what counts. In the end, the game is all about giving it your best shot and both Nadal and Djokovic proved capable in this respect.
