Rafael Nadal on red clay is a juggernaut. Fellow Spaniard David Ferrer entered the tournament as the best player in the world without a major title on his resume and predictably, he left without one. Ferrer became the latest victim to get rolled over by Nadal at the French Open. In reality, the championship was played on Friday when Nadal outlasted top-ranked Novak Djokovic in a five-set classic. In three sets, Nadal treated Ferrer like an honorary Commodore and made his victory look easy on a Sunday morning.
He's now an eight-time champion and his dominance on clay is analogous to Usain Bolt on the track in a wind-aided 100 meter sprint. That's how far ahead of the field he is. In his pro career, Nadal is now 59-1 for his career on the slow surface at Roland Garros. Therefore, it was only fitting that Bolt present him with his eighth French Open trophy.
A seven-month layoff due to knee injuries couldn't slow his assault on the record books. Nadal's win makes him the first men's player to win any Grand Slam singles tournament eight times. However, that doesn't include the women's record. Nadal is now one short of Martina Navritalova's nine Wimbledon titles and Margaret Court's 11 Australian Opens. Nadal's win also gives him a dozen Grand Slams, good for fourth all-time and just five behind Roger Federer.
