ON CLOUD NINE

Rafa Nadal bettered his own historic tally of Monte Carlo Masters by clinching his ninth title in Monaco. The Spaniard also caught up with Novak Djokovic, matching his record of 28 ATP Masters 1000. Djokovic had surpassed Rafa by winning in Miami few weeks back.

Winner of eight consecutive titles here, it was a long wait for The King of crushed bricks- clay not being his dominant turf anymore. Rafa had been struggling since his comeback and it seemed like his best days were now just a part of history books. Well, maybe not.

It was his first Masters triumph since Madrid in 2014 and it’s just the kind of beginning to the clay season that Rafa needed before the French Open.

It took Nadal two brutal sets against Monfils before breezing through the decider and winning 7-5 5-7 6-0. “This has been one of the most special places in my career,” Nadal said on court after his win. “It’s just a pleasure to be back here in a final playing in front of you at this amazing club.

“It has been a very special week for me, winning here in Monte Carlo. What really makes it even more special is the fantastic crowd. Many thanks to everybody here.”

The world of tennis erupted to applaud the greatest fighter the game has ever seen, here are the best tweets following Nadal’s nostalgic ninth.

From the man himself

https://twitter.com/RafaNadalFANS/status/721729370449162241