Nadal won an unprecedented
ninth title at Roland Garros and now only trails Roger Federer on the men's
grand slam ladder after seeing off Novak Djokovic 3-6 7-5 6-2 6-4 on a third
consecutive day of steamy weather in Paris, which did no favors for the Serb --
who appeared to vomit slightly in the last set.
Their tussle couldn't
compare to last year's five-set classic in the semifinals or their six-hour
duel at the Australian Open in 2012 but the final outcome, to Nadal's delight,
is that he tied Pete Sampras on 14 majors, three behind the 32-year-old
Federer.
"You are a great
champion, Rafa," Sampras said in an email sent to CNN. "Congratulations
on number 14."
Nadal was supposed to be
vulnerable here. He merely won one European clay-court title this year before
Paris, his lowest haul since 2004 -- and that year the Spaniard skipped the
campaign's second major.
There were upset defeats
in Monte Carlo and Barcelona, and Nadal's coach, Toni Nadal, admitted he
only won in Madrid because his opponent, Kei Nishikori, was hurt.
With every passing
encounter against Djokovic at the French Open, the Serb had won more
games and kept Nadal on court for longer. He was getting closer.
His victory over Nadal in
the Rome final in May, his fourth straight overall against the
left-hander, gave his backers greater hope.
"My best wasn't (like it was) against him in Rome," Djokovic told reporters.
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