Rafael Nadal has won a record 10 singles titles at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia in Rome. The Spaniard has produced some of the finest tennis of his career at the Foro Italico, where next week Italian fans will have the chance to show their appreciation of his remarkable career.
"That's a very special tournament in my career," Nadal said of the ATP Masters 1000 in Rome after his fourth-round run in Madrid. "I won 10 [titles], so a lot of emotions there too. I dreamed to play all these tournaments where I had success one more time... Rome is one of these ones that I enjoyed a lot playing there.
"I want to go there. I'm going to try and I want to play well there. I want to be competitive. I want to give myself a chance to play good tennis, and I'm going to keep working hard to try to make that happen."
Six of Nadal's Rome titles were clinched with final victories against the Spaniard's two greatest rivals: Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. From Nadal's '7-6 in the fifth' thriller against Federer in 2006 to his three-set win over Djokovic in 2021 for trophy No. 10, ATPTour.com looks back at the King of Clay's Rome final triumphs against the other members of the Big 3.
2006, Nadal d. Federer 6-7(0), 7-6(5), 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(5)
The fifth Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting between Nadal and Federer lifted their rivalry to new heights, with the Spaniard saving two match points and escaping a 3/5 deficit in the decisive tie-break to win his second Rome crown.
Nadal earned his fourth consecutive win in the series despite Federer's prolific success in attacking the net, where he won 64 of 84 points. When Nadal was able to keep Federer behind the baseline, the top two players in the PIF ATP Rankings traded highlight-reel shots in a heavyweight bout of the highest quality.
“I had a couple of match points, I pulled the trigger too early,” Federer said of his forehand errors on those chances. “I definitely played some of the best attacking tennis on clay that I could play. But he defends so well and makes you doubt.”
Nadal's victory earned him his 53rd straight win on clay (tying Guillermo Vilas' men's record, which he would go on to break) and his 16th title as a teen (tying Bjorn Borg's men's record).
Nadal and Federer pose before the 2006 Rome final. Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images.
2009, Nadal d. Djokovic 7-6(2), 6-2
Nadal completed his run to the 2009 Rome title without losing a set, though Djokovic pushed him hardest on the Italian clay. After Nadal lost just 18 games in four matches to reach the final, he suddenly found himself in a tie-break after twice failing to serve out the opening set in the title round.
Djokovic was the defending champion at the ATP Masters 1000 and beat Federer in the semis, but Nadal's clay-court prowess proved too much in the championship match. By controlling the baseline rallies, the Spaniard frustrated his opponent and ultimately ran away with the victory in the second set.
The result was a repeat of the 2009 Monte-Carlo final, where Nadal defeated Djokovic in straight sets to win his fifth of what would become eight consecutive and 11 overall crowns in Monaco.
2012, Nadal d. Djokovic 7-5, 6-3
One year after a straight-sets defeat to Djokovic in the 2011 Rome final, Nadal returned the favour. The Serbian had beaten Nadal in three consecutive major finals and seven straight finals overall before triumphs for the Spaniard in the Monte-Carlo and Rome championship matches shifted the momentum of their Lexus ATP Head2Head series back in his direction.
"Winning against a big opponent is a little bit more important but the important thing is to win the tournament," Nadal said. "To win is important, always. To win gives you calm. When you lose you have a little more doubt. The confidence is because I am playing well. Sure, to win is good and the clay-court season has been perfect. Hopefully I will continue like this."
Nadal did indeed continue like that, as he went on to beat Djokovic again in four sets to win the 2012 Roland Garros crown.
Nadal poses with the 2012 Rome trophy. Photo by Filippo Monteforte/AFP/GettyImages.
2013, Nadal d. Federer 6-1, 6-3
Nadal battled his way into the 2013 final, winning three-setters against qualifier Ernests Gulbis and David Ferrer before hitting top form to blow past Federer. The 20th tour-level final between Nadal and Federer was one of the most one-sided in their history.
"It was surprising. I cannot expect to win against Roger 6-1, 6-3," said Nadal, who missed the close of the 2012 season and the start of 2013 with a knee injury. His Rome victory improved his record to 36-2 since his comeback.
"If anyone had told me [that] when I came back I would win six titles, I would have told them they were crazy," he said after the Rome final. "It has exceeded my wildest dreams."
2019, Nadal d. Djokovic 6-0, 4-6, 6-1
After opening the final against Djokovic by winning his fourth 6-0 set of the 2019 tournament, Nadal appeared on course to win the Rome title without dropping a set once again. While the Serbian battled back to soil his rival's perfect set record, he could not stop Nadal from winning his ninth Rome title.
Significantly, it was Nadal's first trophy of 2019, a result that also gave him Rome revenge after Djokovic's win in their 2014 final.
"Winning a title is important but for me the most important thing is to feel myself competitive, feel myself healthy, and then with the feeling that I am improving," Nadal said, showing a subtle shift in mindset compared to his comments as 2012 champion. "I know if I'm able to reach my level, you can win, you can lose, but normally I am going to have my chances."
From 2005-2019, Nadal won at least one of the three clay-court ATP Masters 1000s (Monte-Carlo, Madrid, Rome) each season other than 2015. After semi-final exits in the first two events in 2019, Nadal's Rome triumph ensured he would finish the ATP Tour's clay swing with at least one premier title.
Djokovic and Nadal pose with their trophies after the 2019 Rome final. Photo by Clive BrunskillGetty Images.
2021, Nadal d. Djokovic 7-5, 1-6, 6-3
Nadal claimed his record-extending 10th Rome title by winning his 57th Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting against Djokovic. The result improved Nadal to 4-2 against the Serbian in Rome finals and 28-29 overall, and drew Nadal level with Djokovic on a then-record 36 ATP Masters 1000 crowns.
"It's a very satisfying [victory]," Nadal said after denying Djokovic his first clay win against him since the 2016 Rome quarters. "It's amazing to have the trophy with me again one more time here in Rome. The 10th, I really wanted this 10th here in Rome. It was one of the first important titles that I won in my career."
Rome was the fourth different tour-level event at which Nadal claimed 10 titles, after he previously reached double digits with record hauls at Roland Garros, Barcelona and Monte-Carlo.
The 2021 Rome title was Nadal's biggest of Nadal's two trophies that season, with his other triumph coming in Barcelona.
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