Tennis / french open

Rafael Nadal has reclaimed the reputation as the king of clay court as the Spaniard beat number one ranked Novak Djokovic to win a 10th Italian Open in Rome. The second seed veteran star overcame the challenge of the first seeded Serbian with a 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 victory. This was a record equaling 36th ATP 1000 title for the world's third ranked Nadal. Djokovic is the first player to reach this landmark achievement. By winning the title against the strongest opponent and the defending champion, Nadal made the emphatic statement to his rivals who are heading to the French Open in a fortnight. The Catalonian will be looking forward to add an excellent 14th title in Roland Garros. In a completely one sided affair, fifteenth seed Iga Swiatek won the women’s singles by defeating ninth seed Czech Karolina Pliskova 6-0, 6-0. The second-seeded Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic won the men's doubles. The Croats beat USA’s fifth-seeded Rajeev Ram and Britain’s Joe Salisbury 6-4, 7-6 in the final to claim their sixth Italian open. Canada’s Sharon Fichman and Mexico’s Giuliana Olmos defeated Kristina Mladenovic and Markéta Vondroušová 4-6, 7-5, 10-5 to win the women’s doubles title. Nadal Still Third in the ATP Rankings Despite winning the prestigious Italian Open for a 10th time, Nadal remains third in the latest ATP rankings published on Monday. Nadal, a 13-time French Open winner sits behind Daniil Medvedev, who bowed out in Rome in the second round.