PARIS — Rafael Nadal’s final shot at the French Open was a typically ferocious fallaway forehand, and when it landed for a winner, his momentum and emotion sent him splaying backward onto the clay he loves.
The champion quickly bounded to his feet and headed for the net at a trot. It was time to collect his latest Roland Garros trophy.
Nadal became the first man to win eight titles at the same Grand Slam tournament when he beat fellow Spaniard David Ferrer in Sunday’s final 6-3, 6-2, 6-3. The King of Clay broke the men’s record for match wins at Roland Garros, where he improved to 59-1, with his lone defeat against Robin Soderling in the fourth round in 2009.
Nadal’s path to the Roland Garros title was more arduous than usual. He fell behind in each of his first three matches and needed a fifth-set comeback to beat Novak Djokovic in a semifinal.
And the latest title was especially sweet because of his comeback after a seven-month layoff caused by knee trouble.
“This one is very special one,” Nadal said. “When you have period of time like I had, you realize that you don’t know if you will have the chance to be back here with this trophy another time.”
Since returning, he’s 43-2 with seven titles in nine tournaments, and has won his past 22 matches.
The .706 Nadal’s wining pct. in Grand Slam finals, trailing Roy Emerson (.800), Pete Sampras (.778) and Roger Federer (.708) among men with 10 Slam titles. Nadal is 12-5 overall, 8-0 in French Open finals.
