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Nadal Captures 10th Monte Carlo Title

Apr 23rd 2017

Rafael Nadal served notice that he would be a factor again this clay season with Roland Garros on the horizon.  The King of Clay capped off a strong performance this week defeating Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-1, 6-3 on Sunday to win his unprecedented 10th Monte Carlo Rolex Masters championship.

Nadal was fast out of the gate pressuring his fellow Spaniard, promptly placing him on defense. Ramos-Vinolas was forced to dig out of a 0-40 hole to even the first set at 1-1 but Nadal swept the remainder in a set that lasted just over 30 minutes.

Rafael Nadal

Ramos-Vinolas settled down somewhat at the start of the second set holding his serve twice. But Nadal took control of the match breaking to gain a 3-2 lead and once more with his opponent serving at 3-5. Ramos-Vinolas was never able to mount a strong threat.

The 30-year old seized the momentum of the match early and never relinquished it en route to his 50th clay title, moving him one ahead of Guillermo Vilas.

When I came here for the first time (2003) I reached the third round after coming through the qualifiers,” Nadal said. “Ten titles is something I never dreamed of. See you next year.”

It was Nadal’s first title of 2017 after falling in three finals.

He was a little bit better in everything. When he's a little bit better in everything, the difference is what we saw,” Ramos-Vinolas said. “Last time I played against him, I felt that on (his serve) it was my chance to put some pressure. But today I felt that he was serving so good.”

Rafael Nadal

The title gave Nadal his 29th Masters title, just one behind Novak Djokovic. He has now emerged as the favorite to win his 10th Roland Garros title.

 He put the meaning of the Monte Carlo title into perspective afterward, “The first one here (was) so special. When I was a kid, I always wanted to play in Monte Carlo. In Spain, Monte-Carlo is a very important event,” he said. “There are some moments in the career are important ones. The first title on clay makes a big difference. After that, I was confident enough to keep going, winning in Barcelona, in Rome, then in Roland Garros.”

Nadal will continue to strengthen his French Open chances on the clay courts of Barcelona next week. The tournament features world no. 1 Andy Murray who is looking to bounce back from a disappointing exit at Monte Carlo as he continues to comeback from an elbow injury. Nadal has won nine titles at the Barcelona Open and arrives as its defending champion having defeated Kei Nishikori in the 2016 final.