Nadal Defeats Djokovic to Move Back to No. 2 in Tennis Rankings
Rafael Nadal beat Novak Djokovic in the final of the Rome Masters and moved back to No. 2 in the world tennis rankings.
Nadal beat top-ranked Djokovic 7-5, 6-3 at Rome’s Foro Italico in a final that had been delayed by a day because of rain. It was the Spaniard’s 21st Masters title, a record.
It’s Nadal’s sixth Rome title and his second defeat of the Serb on clay this season. The Spaniard, seeking a record- breaking seventh French Open men’s crown in the tournament starting next week, beat Djokovic in the Monte Carlo final in April. That ended a seven-match losing streak against him.
Nadal will now move ahead of Roger Federer of Switzerland in the rankings of the ATP World Tour, meaning he won’t play Djokovic before the final at Roland Garros. Djokovic is trying to win four majors in a row at the French Open, where he’s never made the championship match.
To contact the reporter on this story: Danielle Rossingh in London at drossingh@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Christopher Elser at celser@bloomberg.net.
Nadal Defeats Djokovic to Move Back to No. 2 in Tennis Rankings
Filippo Monteforte/AFP/Getty Images
Rafael Nadal celebrates with the trophy after winning the Rome Masters.
Rafael Nadal celebrates with the trophy after winning the Rome Masters. Photographer: Filippo Monteforte/AFP/Getty Images
Rate this Page
Bloomberg moderates all comments. Comments that are abusive or off-topic will not be posted to the site. Excessively long comments may be moderated as well. Bloomberg cannot facilitate requests to remove comments or explain individual moderation decisions.