This past Sunday Rafael Nadal FINALLY beat Novak Djokovic and won his eight consecutive title at the Monte-Carlo Masters tournament. It was pretty lopsided, Rafa won 6-4, 6-1 and it was a pretty standard match, not what what you usually expect from Rafa and Novak, especially after their epic Australian Open final (that one still stings). This is probably due to the fact that Nole lost his grandfather early on in the tournament, whom he was very close to.

Nole said in a press conference after the final, very respectfully, that he was really emotionally drained by the end of the tournament but it shouldn’t take anything away from what Rafa did and he deserved to win. My only disliking for Nole comes from the fact that he’s beat my personal favorite player but apart from that, I think he’s a class act and deserves everything he has. I think he’s a great athlete and a great example when it comes to sportsmanship (Rafa too).

Rafa and his team with Monte-Carlo trophy

On a happier note, Rafa finally won! This is his first title since he won Roland Garros last June. This is the eight consecutive time that Rafa has won Monte-Carlo, the first tennis player to ever win any tournament eight times in a row. He also now has the record for most Masters events won with 20. He was previously tied with Roger Federer.

He looked and said that he was healthy and his knees weren’t an issue which is good because Barcelona starts this week immediately followed by Madrid (blue clay) and Rome. After that it’s the conclusion of the clay season with the French Open. I really think this tournament is the spark that Rafa needed and I’m really hoping for a clay sweep! And since Rafa has nothing to lose and only points to gain, he can hopefully bridge the gap to the number one spot (there’s a lot of points) or at least build a bigger gap between him and Roger Federer who is ranked third. It can’t get too much worse, right? Onward!