The 34-year-old Nadal achieved his 100th victory at Roland Garros against just two losses since his debut in 2005.
Spaniard Rafael Nadal demolished world number one Novak Djokovic of Serbia 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 in the French Open final to claim a record-matching 20th Grand Slam title on Sunday.
With his record-setting 13th win at Roland Garros, world number two Nadal is now tied with Roger Federer of Switzerland for the player with the most men’s singles Major titles.
Nadal was the early aggressor when he strangled Djokovic to brutally win the first set after committing just two unforced errors. He then kept a firm grip on a subdued Djokovic in the second set.
Brief rebellion
Djokovic, seeking to win his 18th Grand Slam title, rebelled in the third set, breaking back for 3-3, only to drop serve on a double fault in the 11th game before Nadal claimed his 100th win. at Roland Garros. nails on.
“First of all, of course, congratulations to Novak on another great tournament, sorry for today,” Nadal, who has now beaten Djokovic in all three of his French Open finals, said on the court.
“In Australia (in the 2019 final) he killed me. We have played so many times, one day one wins, another day the other wins “.
Spain’s Rafael Nadal plays a shot during the 2020 French Open men’s final against Serbian Novak Djokovic, in Paris on October 11, 2020. | Photo credit: Clive Brunskill
Nadal, 34, would not think of matching Federer’s mark.
“Winning here means everything. I don’t think today of the twentieth and equal Roger in this great number, today is just a Roland Garros victory and that means everything to me, ”said the world number two.
“This love story I have with this city and this field is unforgettable.”
When Nadal finished it off with an ace, he dropped to his knees, grinned widely and waved his arms.
Nadal, No. 2 in the rankings, improved to 100-2 at the French Open, including a combined 26-0 in the semifinals and finals, and picked up his fourth consecutive title in Paris.
Previous streaks
The 34-year-old previously put together streaks of four French Open championships from 2005-08, then five in a row from 2010-14, to accompany his four trophies at the US Open, two at Wimbledon and one at the Australian Open . .
Nadal is now on par with Federer for the first time since every man had zero Slams to his name in 2003. Federer first came to Wimbledon that year; Nadal got his first in France in 2005.
.
