Rafael Nadal of Spain bites the trophy as he poses during a ceremony after defeating Roger Federer of Switzerland during their men's final at the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris June 5, 2011.
Credit: Reuters/Vincent Kessler
PARIS |
(Reuters) - Rafa Nadal had doubted he could seal a sixth French Open title having started in shaky form and with rivals looking imperious, but the Spaniard need not have worried after triumphing with another claycourt masterclass.
His 7-5 7-6 5-7 6-1 victory over his great rival, the in-form Roger Federer, in Sunday's final was a microcosm of the Spaniard's tournament as he equalled Bjorn Borg's record for Roland Garros men's singles crowns.
Ice cool Swede Borg won his six titles in eight years while Nadal has reached that mark in seven and his delight was clear as he sank to his knees on the court that since debuting in 2005 has become a private stage for his audacious skills.
This year had not all been plain sailing though.
The top seed, who has clung on to the world number one spot under pressure from Novak Djokovic, slumped 5-2 down in the first set just as he was two sets to one down in the first round against John Isner in his first five-set match at Roland Garros.
Both times Nadal refused to budge and roared back despite the majority of the crowd supporting the underdog.
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