Two dominant athletes entered Court Philippe-Chatrier with hopes of clinching the men’s Roland Garros crown on Sunday. But it was Rafael Nadal who comprehensively outplayed the #1 seed Novak Djokovic to claim his 13th title in Paris. With his incredible victory against Djokovic, Rafa has now broken a list of records in the tennis history books. 

Rafa Nadal looked in complete control right from the first set. The Spaniard handed a bagel to the World No.1 in the first, by completely dominating the affairs at center court. As time flew by, Nadal kept inching closer toward victory and finally managed to secure the prestigious La Coupe des Mousquetaires.

By winning his 13th Roland Garros crown, Rafael Nadal has now matched Swiss maestro Roger Federer’s career tally of 20 grand slams. It probably is the most important feat achieved by Rafa as this moment has been the most awaited one for a couple of years. Rafa now has 20, as much as Roger, while Novak trails with 17 grand slams. 

Moreover, this victory marks another special moment for Rafa Nadal. The 34-year-old has been a master of clay, and he secured his first French Open victory in 2005. 15 years later, he becomes the first player in the open era to replicate the same success! 

A century of victories for Rafael Nadal and it couldn’t get any sweeter!

As Rafael Nadal won his 20th grand slam title on Sunday, all the focus shifted on him equalizing Federer’s record. While is indeed a special moment to match your arch-nemesis, Rafa has amassed another tremendous record on the Parisian clay. 

With his title securing win over Novak Djokovic, Rafa brought up his 100th career victory at Roland Garros. There is no other player who has managed to win 80 games, and there is Nadal who has won 100 of them. Right now, his record is 100-2 and almost looks unbelievable at first glance! 

Moreover, Rafael Nadal breezed past Novak Djokovic in straight sets. He finished the game with an ace and the scoreboard read 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 in favor of the Spaniard. This means that no player managed to take a set from Rafa in the entire tournament. Djokovic was expected to put up a tough fight, but failed to do so. 

Hence, this is the fourth time that Rafael Nadal is winning a grand slam without dropping a single set in the tournament. Nadal’s terrific 13th Roland Garros title now takes him to new heights. He now has four more French Open titles ahead of everyone and six more than any other player in the open era.