Nadal wins 5th straight Monte Carlo Tennis Masters Title
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Spain’s Rafael Nadal holds the trophy after defeating Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in the fnal match of the Monte-Carlo Tennis Masters tournament, in Monaco. (AP Photo/Claude Paris)
MONACO (AP) - Rafael Nadal became the first player to win five straight Monte Carlo Masters titles by beating Novak Djokovic 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 Sunday.
The top-ranked Spaniard, however, lost a set in
“Fifth title here in
“Always really important for me (to) start the clay season like this.”
Nadal trailed 3-1 in the first set before reeling off five straight games. Struggling on serve in the third, he saved three break points and needed 14 minutes to hold his opening ser-vice game.
“A little bit lucky because he has two break points and important drop shot. I came back. That point was really important,” Nadal said. “After that I think I played really well. In the important moments, I was focused all the time.”
But Nadal was unhappy how he served throughout the tournament, and plans to improve it in the weeks leading up to Roland Garros, where he begins his quest for a fifth straight French Open title next month.
Rafael Nadal of
“This tournament I didn’t serve very well. Especially the second serve was sometimes 120kph (74 mph). So that’s (a) disaster,” Nadal said. “Yeah, I have to play more. Have to serve better.”
It was the third-seeded Djokovic who crumbled as Nadal clinched victory on his first match point when the Serbian sent a backhand into the net. “I played a very good match, actually one of the best I have played against him on this surface,” Djokovic said. “It’s really unfortunate that in certain moments I didn’t play the way I was supposed to play, with a little bit more patience.”
Nadal extended his winning streak at
Nobody has matched Nadal’s performance at the
Reggie Doherty won the event six times overall between 1897-99 and 1902-04, while five-time winner Anthony Wilding of New Zealand won four times in a row from 1911-14 and got his other title in 1908.
The momentum of Sunday’s match went Djokovic way after he dominated the second set, winning all nine points at the net and putting huge pressure on Nadal’s wavering serve.
“It certainly gives me a lot of confidence playing against him,” Djokovic said. “Hopefully I can have an-other chance this season.”
But Djokovic missed his chance at the beginning of the third set, wasting three break points in the first game. After a long rally at 30-40, Djokovic seemed certain to break Nadal with a drop shot, but Nadal somehow got it back for a winner and Djokovic sank to his knees.
Spain’s Rafael Nadal, left, shakes hands with Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, right, after winning their final match of the Monte Carlo Tennis Masters tournament, in Monaco. (AP Photo/Claude Paris)
“He got (an) incredible drop shot and he made a winner. The angle was just incredible,” Djokovic said. “I think that’s what kind of lifted him up.” With Djokovic finding his range with huge shots, he forced an-other chance that Nadal saved with a strong first serve. Another big forehand winner offered up a third break point, which Djokovic missed when his return landed just out.
“It was just unfortunate to miss some opportunities in the start of the third set, because if I was break up, then things would probably look different,” Djokovic said.
Nadal broke Djokovic immediately for a 2-0 lead, but he was struggling to hold and dropped serve on his third break point in the third game to let Djokovic back in the match.
But Nadal improved and won the next five games - just like he did at 3-1 down in the first set as Djokovic went for extravagant winner’s hat landed out.
Djokovic, the 2008 Australian Open champion, called for treatment on his lower back late in the first set. “The muscle got tight, really tight,” Djokovic said. “After, I was really OK after the medical time out.”
After sending a backhand wide to give Nadal the set, Djokovic served well in the second, accelerating the rallies and pushing Nadal way behind the baseline before leveling the match.
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