Rafael Nadal in Monte Carlo - The twelfth title has to wait
Competitive tennis will not be played in the Monte Carlo Country Club until 2021. The record of Rafael Nadal's eleven tournament victories in the Principality will last much, much longer.
by tennisnet.com
last edit:
Apr 14, 2020, 08:52 am
Imagine that a 16-year-old player appeared almost out of nowhere in Monte Carlo these days and had thrown the ruling French Open champion Rafael Nadal out of the competition. Just like Nadal himself did with his compatriot Albert Costa in 2003. Now Costa has never had the same dominance out of ashes as Nadal - but who has that? The fact that a teenager beats a Grand Slam champion was a big exclamation mark 17 years ago.
Rafael Nadal was followed by eleven others in Monte Carlo alone. In the form of tournament victories, the last of 2018. Last year Fabio Fognini had dared to double the Spanish grandmaster in the semifinals, before that Nadal had left three times in a row as a champion.
Only Novak Djokovic stops Rafael Nadal
The 33-year-old's winning streak started in 2005 when he beat Guillermo Coria in four sets in the final, as did Roger Federer the year after. Afterwards, Monte Carlo turned to the best-of-three mode in the final, Federer did little to help in 2007 and 2008. The Swiss reached the final four times in the Principality, most recently in 2014 against Stan Wawrinka. However, Federer did not experience great success.
Nadal, on the other hand, remained undefeated between 2005 and 2013. Only Novak Djokovic ended the winning streak of the Mallorcan, who won the first Masters 1000 tournament of the tennis year on clay eight times in a row. No wonder that the match record with 71 wins in 76 games is almost unreal. And with eleven triumphs in Monte Carlo, Rafael Nadal is of course alone on the floor: the closest he comes with three wins, Thomas Muster, Guillermo Vilas, Björn Borg and Ilie Nastase.
Here are the titles of Rafael Nadal in Monte Carlo
| year | Final opponents | Result |
| 2018 | Kei Nishikori | 6: 3, 6: 2 |
| 2017 | Albert Ramos-Vinolas | 6: 1, 6: 3 |
| 2016 | Gael Monfils | 7: 5, 5: 7, 6: 0 |
| 2012 | Novak Djokovic | 6: 3, 6: 1 |
| 2011 | David Ferrer | 6: 4, 7: 5 |
| 2010 | Fernando Verdasco | 6: 0, 6: 1 |
| 2009 | Novak Djokovic | 6: 3, 2: 6, 6: 1 |
| 2008 | Roger Federer | 7: 5, 7: 5 |
| 2007 | Roger Federer | 6: 4, 6: 4 |
| 2006 | Roger Federer | 6: 2, 6: 7 (2), 6: 3, 7: 6 (5) |
| 2005 | Guillermo Coria | 6: 3, 6: 1, 0: 6, 7: 5 |