Nadal Crashes Federer in Monte Carlo

Rafael Nadal is certainly the best tennis player on clay. He made that very clear on Sunday, when he retained his Monte Carlo title against first seed and current ATP leader, Swiss Roger Federer. It was a thrilling match that saw both players displaying remarkable techniques. Nadal was crowned with the unofficial clay court champion, since he cruised past Federer in 4 sets, 6-2, 6-7, 6-3, and 7-6. It was the second win over the Swiss champion this season, after the same Nadal beat Federer in the Dubai final on the 4th of March.

Federer reached the final of the Monte Carlo Open for the first time in his carrier. He had never passed the quarter-finals before this year's open, so he went very confident into the game. Bur Nadal rallied the first set 5-1, and then won it easily. The Swiss fought back from a break down, to win the second in tie-break. Nadal responded 6 games later, when he broke Federer's serve again in a tensed game. The fourth set almost saw the world number one take the tie-break, after taking a 3-0 advantage. But the Spaniard recovered and sealed the victory with a winning forehand, conquering his 14th title of his carrier.

Nadal now finds himself only 4 wins of reaching Bjorn Borg record on clay. He won 42 straight matches, ranking 3rd in the all-time standings, after Borg (46), and Guillermo Vilas (53).

"It was a very unbelievable day for me. It's special to begin the clay season like this. Beating Roger in the final is even more special, it's great", said Nadal. He is now on a 4-1 record against Federer.
"Rafael played a great match, it was tough to lose. I played a smarter match today than last year's Paris semi-final. I have moved closer to him on clay and that's very important", said Federer after the game.