King of Clay Does it Again: Rafael Nadal Wins Record 9th French Open

It was a record setting day for Spain’s Rafael Nadal, who beat Serbia’s Novak Djokovic 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-4 in the French Open final. The win improved Nadal’s record at Roland Garros to an epic 66-1, and he also became the first man in the history of the sport to win the same Grand Slam title nine times.

Throughout his career, the 28-year-old has been almost unbeatable on clay. Right now Nadal’s winning streak at the French Open alone stands at 35 straight. Which is why it should come as no surprise it’s the world’s No. 1 ranked player’s place to play.

Though the top-seeded Nadal ultimately won handedly, he got off to a very slow start. Djokovic looked very much in control as he bested the King on his own court in the first set.

Unfortunately for Djokovic, the heat started to really work against him right around the time Nadal regained his composure.

Talk about bad timing.

Both players cooled down during changeovers with ice-filled towels, but it was clear Nadal was handling the conditions much better. Djokovic looked unsteady on his feet during the third set and reportedly vomited during the first changeover in the fourth set.

Nadal improved his overall record against Djokovic to 32-19 en route to his 14th Grand Slam title, tying him with Pete Sampras. Only Roger Federer has more with 17.

As for Nadal’s chances to surpass Federer for the all-time lead in Grand Slam titles? Well, apparently they stand at just 21.5 percent. Click over to Fox Sports for a great analysis of what the future may hold for Nadal.