He’s proven why he’s called the king of clay. Being 3-1 down in the third set against Alexander Zverev in the finals of the Italian Open, Rafael Nadal clinched the title winning the match 6-1,1-6,6-3. This is his 8th title in Rome and third for the clay court season so far, with Rolland Garros the next target.
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He held on to the first set comfortably losing just a single game. The reverse happened in the second set when Nadal’s game started slipping. Zverev, winning the Madrid Masters last week, ensured he kept Nadal on his toes and managed to take the second set 6-1. He went on to break the first game of the third set to ensure Nadal was on the backfoot from the very beginning.
At 3-1 down, it started raining, which gave Rafael Nadal the break he wanted. The game resumed and he went on to break Zverev twice to take the match and the championship.
Last year, Italian Open was the only title Rafael Nadal couldn’t win in the clay court season, having lost to Dominic Thiem. With this victory, he not only win the championship, but comes back as the world number 1 ahead of Roger Federer.
Speaking of the French Open, the qualifiers are still underway but the Gland Slam is just a week away. Once again, Nadal will be the favourite for the title, but never say never in tennis. Dominic Thiem will be a major threat for the Spaniard, being the only person to beat him in clay both in 2017 and 2018. Zverev could be another potential threat considering his Madrid Masters win and the brilliant run at the Italian Open. Another potential threat could be Novak Djokovic, who showcased glimpse of regained strength and confidence, especially in the semifinal match against Rafael Nadal.
Coming back to the Italian Open in Rome, here is how social media reacted to the final.
Rafa #Nadal & his 8th Rome Trophy (reuters)
So that’s 11 Monte Carlos, 11 Barcelona’s and 8 Italian Opens for #Nadal
Make a way for the king of clay!!! He has french open to slay !! #nadal #Rafa #kingofclay #NO1 #Italianopen #frenchopen
32nd Masters 1000 title for @RafaelNadal and back to World No.1 tomorrow! 🙌 #ibi18
Just I LOVE YOU, king of our hearts! I am in tears of happiness, of joy, of love... 😘😘😘👏👏👏👏👏❤#VamosRafa #IBI18 #Nadal @RafaelNadal enhorabuena!
#Nadal you may win French open.but that old warrior & magician FedEx will come back & win both Wimbledon & us open.
Most single #AtpMasters1000 Tournament won by a player #Nadal-Montecarlo 11 Nadal-#Rome 8 #Federer-Cincinnati 7 #Agassi-Miami 6 #Djokovic-Miami 6 #RomeMasters #IBI18
I would like to thank thee Almighty God for pouring rain when Rafa was losing so officials could suspend the match. #Nadal gathered himself and came back to win against Zverev. #VAMOS 🙌🏾💪
Congratulations Rafa. 🎉🎉❤ Soo, Soo happy for ya. @RafaelNadal "The king of clay for a reason" #VamosRafa #rafa #Nadal #ATP #ATPRoma #IBI18 #tennis #ATPMasters1000 #thekingofclay h
32nd Masters 1000 title for @RafaelNadal and back to World No.1 tomorrow! 🙌 #ibi18
EIGHT KING OF ROME 👑🎾 #IBI18 #Nadal @RafaelNadal
https://twitter.com/angrlmn/status/998279940742270978
Rafael Nadal is back in top form again!! Winning the Rome Masters now and moving away well towards the French Open 2018!! Common King of Clay time for another Roland Garros! #Nadal #RomeMasters
Zverev's level still good enough to take #Nadal out but the king rips the belief out of you, that's what he does! #ItalianOpen @CoffeeBreakTens @TennisTalkDaily
https://twitter.com/besso_57/status/998257553065824256
#Zverez is a bigger threat to #Nadal's clay court dominance than #Thiem even if the latter recently defeated him. His dynamic plays at #ItalianOpen have forced Nadal to play better and claim the title.
Come on Rafa! You can do this! #VamosRafa #ItalianOpen #Nadal
#Zverev, who has been serving bombs the past two weeks didn't hold serve even once. #Nadal up 6-1 in just 33 minutes. #WorldsGoneMad
King of clay🏆 #Nadal
As expected the rain delay killed Zverev's momentum. Adrenaline level low. Must feel the tiredness. #Zverev #Nadal #RomeMasters