Nadal makes Roland Garros history

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Published time: June 11, 2012 12:44
Edited time: June 11, 2012 17:26

Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal has become the first man to win seven Roland Garros titles by defeating World No.1, Novak Djokovic, in the final, which lasted for two days thanks to the moody Paris weather.

­Two of the best players began settling their scores on Sunday, with defending champion Nadal leading 2 sets to 1 when the umbrellas came out in the French capital.

At one stage it looked like being a one-sided affair, with the Spaniard storming into a two-set lead against Djokovic and enjoying a 2-0 up in the third.

But a remarkable run of eight straight games from the Serb secured him the third set and brought him right back into contention.

The match resumed on Monday, with the Djoker 2-1 up in the fourth set. But the World No.1 couldn’t hold on to his lead as the in-form Nadal cruising to a 6-4 6-3 2-6 7-5 victory.

The Spaniard continues his domination of the Roland Garros clay courts, winning his historic seventh final in eight years.

Before the match Rafa was equal with Bjorn Borg, who triumphed at the tournament six times.

"It's a real honour," Nadal said after the match. "But for me the most important thing is this tournament. For me this is the most important tournament in the world."

"I'm really, really emotional and it's probably one of the more special moments of my career," he added.

Meanwhile, the Spaniard's win deprived Djokovic of a historic achievement of his own as the French Open success could’ve made him the first player to win four Grand Slam events in a row in the last 43 years.

The Serb now has to start collecting his Slam from the beginning, with Roland Garros being the only major title not in his trophy cabinet.