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On the 8th of June 2014, Rafael Nadal won his 9th Roland Garros title. No man has ever won a single major on so many occasions. Roger Federer and Pete Sampras are second in the list with 7 Wimbledon titles. Nadal broke the record of Bjorn Borg of 4 consecutive French Open titles.
For the first time in a decade, Nadal was looking most vulnerable heading into the French Open. On the European clay court season, he lost three matches, one each at Monte Carlo, Barcelona and the Rome masters. He managed to win the Madrid masters after Kei Nishikori retired in the final.
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In his title defence at French open, Nadal played like a champion. He came under pressure on only two occasions throughout the tournament. The first was against his fellow countryman David Ferrer when he lost the first set. Another was in the final when Novak Djokovic won the first set and had two break points in the 8th game of the second. Well. Nadal roared back on both these occasions.
Since the birth of his twin sons Leo and Lenny, Roger Federer is losing his grip on the game. The Swiss maestro has to regain his form ahead of the grass season. Ernest Gulbis had the better of Federer in the fourth round. The man from Latvia played the tennis of his life and showed why he deserves to be in top 5 of the ATP rankings. Kei Nishikori was ousted in the first round. Andy Murray is coming back from an injury layoff. He surrendered rather meekly to Nadal in the semifinals. He is hoping for some lady luck in the form of his coach Amelie Mauresmo to defend his Wimbledon title.
Gael Monfils always plays his best tennis at the French Open. He played his heart out against Murray in the quarterfinals. Milos Raonic showed that Maple can also shine on Clay. John Isner was trying to be the first American to reach the 4th round of the tournament after 2010. He did not succeed. Novak Djokovic came close to capturing the only major that has eluded him for so long, only to be stopped by an in-form Nadal. The Mallorcan king now extends his record at Roland Garros to a staggering 66-1. He is now tied second with Pete Sampras in the list of Major winners with 14 tiltes.
Nadal is 28 years old and with this form, he can every chance to surpass the great Roger Federer’s 17 Grand Slam titles.
What is the foot injury that has troubled Rafael Nadal over the years? Check here
