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Rafael Nadal
Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP
Roger Federer Mountain range Rafael Nadal equal his all-time record of 20 Grand Slam titles with a 13th open French victory on Sunday and hailed it as “one of the greatest achievements in sport.”
Nadal demolished Novak Djokovic 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 to add a thirteenth Roland Garros to his four US Open, two Wimbledons and an Australian Open crown.
“I have always had the utmost respect for my friend Rafa as a person and as a champion,” tweeted Federer, who was left out of the tournament to recover from knee surgery.
“As my biggest rival for many years, I think we have pushed each other to become better players.
“Therefore, it is a real honor for me to congratulate you on your 20th Grand Slam victory.
“It is especially surprising that he has won Roland Garros 13 incredible times, which is one of the greatest achievements in the sport.
“I hope the 20th is just one more step in the ongoing journey for both of us.”
The main winners of the men’s Grand Slam title after Rafael Nadal beat Novak Djokovic in the final of the French Open on Sunday:
20 – Roger Federer (SUI)
20 – Rafael Nadal (ESP)
17 – Novak Djokovic (SRB)
14 – Pete Sampras (United States)
12 – Roy Emerson (AUS)
11 – Rod Laver (AUS), Bjorn Borg (SWE)
10 – Bill Tilden (United States)
Rafael Nadal’s path to his 13th French Open title on Sunday (x denotes seeded player):
Rafael Nadal (ESP x2)
1st rd: bt Egor Gerasimov (BLR) 6-4, 6-4, 6-2
2nd: bt Mackenzie McDonald (USA) 6-1, 6-0, 6-3
3rd: bt Stefano Travaglia (ITA) 6-1, 6-4, 6-0
4th: bt Sebastian Korda (USA) 6-1, 6-1, 6-2
QF: bt Jannik Sinner (ITA) 7-6 (7/4), 6-4, 6-1
SF: by Diego Schwartzman (ARG x12) 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (7/0)
F: bt Novak Djokovic (SRB x1) 6-0, 6-2, 7-5
