Rafael Nadal Wins Record Seventh French Open

Rafael Nadal cries with joy as he celebrates victory in the French Open men's singles final against Novak Djokovic. (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

After rain stopped play Sunday, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic returned to the court at Roland Garros Monday to determine which would make history.

Nadal was hoping for a record-setting seventh French Open title; Djokovic wanted to win his fourth Grand Slam in a row against Nadal, becoming only the second living player to hold all four Grand Slam titles simultaneously.

All of this would hinge on essentially a two-set mini-match: Nadal had won two sets Sunday, Djojkovic one.

The top-ranked Serb had started slowly Sunday, losing the first three games and the first two sets, but as the rain came harder, so did Djokovic. When play stopped Sunday Nadal had lost eight games in a row; rain soaked the balls, robbing them of the kick and spin Nadal needed, while Djokovic’s power gave him the edge.

When play resumed Monday, Djokovic held serve, up two games to one, with everything on the line.

Djokovic wasted no time getting down to business, running Nadal around the court, but the tall Serb missed a couple of key shots and suddenly was facing break point. Djokovic came to the net, Nadal passed him and started the day up a break.

As had happened the day before, Djokovic warmed up as play progressed, and the rain picked up also. This time however, Nadal matched his opponent, holding at love before the umpire called for a short rain delay.

After as few minutes, the rain eased and the sun came out. With conditions improved, Nadal’s play improved—not that there was much room for improvement. Djokovic kept hitting big, hitting extreme angles, but he missed a few shots. Nadal retrieved his opponent’s high-octane returns of serve, hit his winners, and missed fewer key shots.

Finally, with Djokovic serving a 5–6, Nadal hit a shot to the forehand corner so deep and sharp Djokovic could only block it, and Nadal buried the floating ball, bringing on championship point.

Djokovic missed with his first serve. He bounced the ball deliberately, picked it up to toss it, and paused. He then started his whole routine over, bouncing the ball repeatedly, picking it up, and then delivering a second fault, giving Nadal game, set, match, championship, and a place in tennis history.