Updated: October 11, 2020 10:19:19 pm
The Spanish Rafael Nadal bites the trophy while celebrating winning the final match of the French Open tennis tournament against Serbian Novak Djokovic in three sets, 6-0, 6-2, 7-5, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France, Sunday. October 11, 2020 (AP Photo / Michel Euler)
Rafael Nadal tied Roger Federer with 20 Grand Slam titles by producing a near-perfect performance against Novak Djokovic in the final of the French Open.
Nadal equaled longtime rival Federer in the most singles tennis championships won by a man and added to his own record at Roland Garros with number 13 on red clay, courtesy of a surprisingly dominant 6-0 victory, 6-2 and 7-5. over the number one ranking Djokovic on Sunday.
The 1️⃣3️⃣ moment came true.@Rafael Nadal #Roland Garros pic.twitter.com/r2M9g5f9AY
– Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) October 11, 2020
When Nadal finished it off with an ace, he dropped to his knees, grinned widely and waved his arms.
He did not give up a set in his favorite tournament this year.
Nadal, No. 2 in the standings, 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.
Nadal vs Djokovic 2020 French Open final recap
The 34-year-old southpaw from Spain 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 Open. from Australia.
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 naturally earned his first win in France in 2005, at which point he was trailing 4-0.
Djokovic’s loss left him at 17 majors; had he won, the trio’s standings would have been 20-19-18.
Pure joy 😍@Rafael Nadal #Roland Garros pic.twitter.com/b9k9aR9q5P
– Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) October 11, 2020
Nadal is the oldest French Open champion since 1972, and the 15+ years between his first and most recent Grand Slam title is the longest span for a man.
This was the 56th installment of Nadal vs. Djokovic, the most encounters between any pair of men in the professional era, and the ninth in a Grand Slam final, tying Nadal vs. Federer at the most.
Djokovic had won 14 of the last 18 meetings against Nadal and led 29-26 overall, including a 6-3, 6-2 and 6-3 victory in the final of the 2019 Australian Open.
Nadal allowed Djokovic one game less this time.
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