Rafael Nadal wins ninth Rome title against Novak Djokovic
Rafael Nadal has won the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Rome for the ninth time with an impressive performance. The defending champion defeated Novak Djokovic, who at the beginning was stricken, 6: 0 4: 6 and 6: 1.
by Jens Huiber
last edit: May 19, 2019, 06:45 pm
When Novak Djokovic was last in the final of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Rome, in 2017, he looked almost helpless in phases against his then opponent, Alexander Zverev. However, no comparison to the opening minutes in the 2019 final, which dominated Rafael Nadal in such a way that all doubts about his favorite position for the second Grand Slam tournament of the year in Paris seemed absurd. Nadal went 4-0 away, initially awarded several breakballs for 5-0, but then got a serve on the world rankings first with a backhand pass.
In the 53 matches before the final in the Foro Italico between the two giants, there had not been a single one that ended 6-0 for either player. Nadal made this premiere after 38 minutes. Much to the astonishment of the fans in the crowded stands in the stands of the Campo Centrale.
Djokovic fends off four break chances in the second set
Djokovic did not appear to be in full possession of his powers and, according to Sky, had also postponed his impact ever further. After all: Djokovic wrote right at the beginning of sentence two, but found himself far too often in a defensive position. And Nadal didn't do the industry leader a chance to frivolously gamble away his opportunities. In contrast to the first round, Djokovic pushed himself and took the audience with him.
Nadal, however, did not abate - and a warning due to timeout by referee Carlos Bernardes was uncommented. The Spaniard still had to fend off the first breakball in the fourth game, Nadal did so in style with a forehand shot. When the score was 3: 3, Nadal had the preliminary decision on the racket, but missed a 0:40 when Djokovic served. A few moments later, Nadal had another chance to break - in fact, it was the man from Belgrade who, after almost 100 minutes, set up the set.
81st tournament victory for Rafael Nadal
In the decision, Rafael Nadal then took advantage of an opportunity in Djokovic's first service game. The Serb fought for every point - but most of all saw himself abandoned by his stop balls. A weapon that normally works well. The break to 4: 1 finally set the course for victory for the Spaniard. For Nadal it was the ninth triumph in Rome, the 81st of his career overall. And the confirmation that the 2019 French Open victory will only lead him.
With his 34th title at a Masters 1000 event, Nadal again took the lead in this category. And in direct comparison with Novak Djokovic put on 26:28 victories.