In a re-match of the 2011 final, Rafael Nadal defeated World No. 1 and defending champion Novak Djokovic 7-5, 6-4 to win the Rome Masters 1000 after rain had washed out play on Sunday.
Thus, 25-year-old Nadal will return to World No. 2 in the ATP Rankings after winning the Internazionali BNL d’Italia title for the sixth time
Following triumphs in 2005-2007 and 2009-2010, Nadal’s victory also marked a record-breaking 21st ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown for Nadal. The Spaniard had broken new territory with victory at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters in April, before Roger Federer drew level with success at the Mutua Madrid Open last week.
Nadal now goes into Roland Garros, where he will attempt to lift the trophy for the seventh time, with a 16-1 record on clay this season. He has been victorious in Monte-Carlo, Barcelona (d. Ferrer) and now in Rome, while his lone defeat came in Madrid at the hands of Fernando Verdasco.
After losing seven times in a row against Djokovic between the 2011 Indian Wells final and this year’s Australian Open title match, Nadal has now beaten the Serb twice in successive meetings. He stopped the run of defeats with a straight-sets victory in Monte-Carlo and leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 18-14.
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