Rafael Nadal wins his 7th French Open Title!

What a great day! Rafa Nadal makes history by winning his 7th trophy in Roland Garros by beating his nemesis, Novak Djokovic, in four sets, 6-4 6-3 2-6 7-5. The match, which started on Sunday, was interrupted by rain and had to be finished on Monday. For Nadal fans, it was worth the wait.

It started out like it was going to be a one-sided affair. Rafa started off exceedingly well and Novak, probably slightly worn out from some tough matches during the week, was not at his best. It seemed Nadal would win the championship without dropping a set as he went up a break in the third, 2-0. Then somehow, the rainy conditions that left the balls and the court wet and heavy took the sting out of Rafa's shots and prevented him from moving as well as he normally does on the red clay. All of a sudden, Novak won 8 games in a row and was up a break in the fourth. Rafa stopped the bleeding by finally holding serve before the referee called a halt to the match due to weather conditions.

Somehow, Rafa found his form again when the match resumed on Monday, and after being down a break at 1-2, he managed to turn things around and win the fourth set and the title. Woo-hoo!!

So many amazing things about this match:

• Rafa Nadal now holds the men's record for winning the most French Open titles with 7, edging past Bjorn Borg who has 6.
• His French Open career win-loss record? A staggering 52 wins and 1 loss. Incredible!
• He now has 11 Grand Slam singles titles, tied with Borg and Rod Laver. Only Roger Federer (16), Pete Sampras (14), and Roy Emerson (12) have won more.
• He also finally snaps his Grand slam final losing streak against Novak (Rafa lost to Novak in Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open). This also marks the third match in a row that Rafa has beaten the current world #1 against whom he lost 7 straight times. While that shaky third set leaves people to believe that Rafa may still have some mental demons against Novak, he still somehow managed to right the ship and win.
• He also stays at #2. Roger Federer's loss in the semis assures Rafa of holding on to the #2 ranking until Wimbledon, which is crucial as it means Rafa once again will be seeded 2 and won't have to face Djokovic until the final.
• Rafa now holds the distinction of being the only male player to have won three tournaments 7 times or more - Monte Carlo (8), Barcelona (7), and now the French Open (7).
• Rafa has now also tied Roger Federer's (men's) record of winning at least one Grand Slam title each year for 8 consecutive years. He won at least one slam each year from 2005 until this year. Federer won at least one a year from 2003 to 2010.

Congratulations, Rafa! Here's hoping you can repeat your success in Wimbledon. :)