Rafael Nadal Captures 10th Italian Open Title

Tennis star Rafael Nadal won his 10th Italian Open title over long-time rival Novak Djokovic.

Nadal came out on top with an impressive 26 forehand winners, and 15 of those came in the first set. It allowed Nadal to win a 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 victory that gave him a record-extending 10th Italian Open title Sunday.

Following the victory, Nadal talked about how his forehand was improving. “I have been playing better and better with my forehand the last couple of weeks, getting to the confidence point,” Nadal said. “That’s a huge improvement for me, very important shot. Especially on clay, it [gives] me confidence.”

The tennis star then spoke about winning the title for the 10th time again. “To have this trophy in my hands for the 10th time is something hard to believe,” Nadal said. The star described it as “one of the most important places in my career.” Nadal described the Italian Open as important because it was the first title he won at the Foro Italico in 2005 as an 18-year-old when he beat Guillermo Coria in a match.

Rival Djokovic was respectful of his long-time rival’s win. “He managed to break my serve and played better. That’s it,” Djokovic said. “I had my shot to win it but wasn’t meant to be. I didn’t feel fatigued. Actually, I was very happy with the way I felt on the court. I could have gone for another few hours.”

Now Nadal will be gearing up for another possible title run for the French Open in two weeks.