Nadal masters Federer to win Madrid title.
Rafael Nadal has won this third Masters 1000 title on clay this spring, defeating Roger Federer in the final of the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open.
It had been a full year since the greatest rivalry in tennis today was played out on centre court at the Madrid Masters – with Federer taking the honours in the 2009 final – but Nadal turned the tables on his old rival on Sunday to claim a 6-4, 7-6(5) victory.
“A win in Madrid, a win at home is a dream. And to win three Masters 1000 titles before Roland Garros is amazing,” said Nadal after claiming the 28th clay-court title of his career.
“Against Roger always is a special match. We have a lot of respect for each other,” the left-hander said, while acknowledging that both made more mistakes than usual in the final.
That may have been so, but it was also a match where Nadal displayed some of the passing shots and created some of the angles that have make him the best player on clay courts today. Federer though, was taking plenty of positives from his performance at Madrid.
“I’m happy with my game. It was a good tournament for me. Rafa played well today, maybe got one break too many today that cost me the match at the end. I went after my shots and I think that’s what I’ve got to do on clay,” said Federer in his post-match interview.
Madrid was the 18thATP World Tour Masters 1000 title of Nadal’s career, and see’s him break the record for the most ATP Masters titles, previously held by Andre Agassi, that the Spaniard had equalled with his tournament victory at the Italian Open in Rome just a couple of weeks earlier.
It is the first time in Nadal’s career, and indeed in men’s tennis, that he has won all three clay court Masters 1000 titles in the same season, a run which began with his victory at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters last month.
After an undefeated spring on clay, Nadal must surely enter Roland Garros as firm favourite for his fifth Roland Garros crown.
However, defending champion and world No. 1 Federer will take heart in his continued improvement as the clay court season has progressed and he still looms as the man the King of Clay must defeat to regain the crown at his favourite Grand Slam.
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