Nadal tops Djokovic for 13th French Open title, equals Grand Slam record

Paris – Rafael Nadal tied Roger Federer with 20 Grand Slam titles in the French Open final with a near-perfect performance over Novak Djokovic.

Nadal tied long-time rival Federer with the biggest singles tennis championships ever won by a single man and set his own record at 13th place Roland Garros on red clay, surprisingly dominating a 6-0, 6-2, 7 Sunday No. 5 victory over Djokovic.

When Nadal finished it with an ace, he fell to his knees, smiled broadly, and pumped his hands.

He did not give up a set in his favorite tournament this year.

Af Rafaelnodal Novak Djokovic defeated Djokovic 6-0 6-2 7-5 to complete and win the title in the Paris Finals # Roland Garros pic.twitter.com/lzOz5dmoqQ

– Roland-Garros (landrolandgarros) October 11, 2020

Nadal, ranked 2nd, improved 100-2 at the French Open, including 26-0 in the semifinals and finals, to win his fourth consecutive title in Paris. The 34-year-old left-hander from Spain has previously won four French Open Championships since 2005-08, then five in a row from 2010-14, along with his four trophies at the US Open, two at Wimbledon and one at the Australian Open.

Nadal was also with Federer for the first time since 2003, when every man had zero slams to his name. Federer first came to Wimbledon that year; Nadal, of course, made his debut in France in 2005, trailing 4-0 at the time.

Djokovic’s loss left him at 17 Majors; If he wins, these three standings read 20-19-18.

Nadal has been the longest-serving man since 1972, the oldest French Open champion and his first and most recent Grand Slam titles.

Roland-Garros match won.
Roland-Garros titles.
Grand Slam titles.
Af Rafaelnodal.# Roland Garros pic.twitter.com/Lgu38j5F4C

– Roland-Garros (landrolandgarros) October 11, 2020

This is Nadal vs. Djokovic’s 56th installment, the highest number of meetings between any pair of men in the professional era, and their ninth in the Grand Slam final, the highest tie between Nadal vs Federer.

Djokovic has won 14 of the last 18 matches against Nadal and is leading 29-26 overall, winning the 2019 Australian Open final 6-3, 6-2, 6-3.

Nadal allowed Djokovic to play less this time.