Spaniard Rafael Nadal sealed his seventh Rome Masters title on Sunday by routing Swiss superstar Roger Federer in dominating fashion – sealing the victory with a 6-1, 6-3 score.
By winning the Rome Masters title, Nadal acquired his 24th career ATP Masters 1000 title, an all-time record (Federer comes in second place with 21).
This is Nadal’s sixth title win this 2013 season.
“If you told me four or five months ago that after eight tournaments I would have won six titles from eight finals, I would say you are crazy,” said Nadal. “To win three [ATP World Tour] Master 1000 and two [ATP World Tour] 500 tournaments is more than I ever dreamed.
“All I can say is ‘thank you for the support and to my team’. Thanks to them I have the chance to be here again and compete. I don’t want to think about Roland Garros yet. Let me enjoy this victory,” he added.
By successfully defending the Rome Masters title, Nadal will rise to world number four in the rankings and is assured to be seeded either third or fourth at the upcoming Roland Garros tournament. He could get the third seeding should Andy Murray decide to pull out of the tournament due to an ongoing back injury.
Nadal received €501,700 and 1,000 ranking points. Federer picked up €246,000 and 600 points. Nadal improved his head-to-head series against Federer to 20-10.
Federer admitted that his rival was just playing incredible tennis.
“It didn’t go how I hoped and I was missing too many easy forehands and crucial points,” said Federer. “He does an incredible job returning form the back of the court and it is hard because he covers the court so well. You need to serve accurately. When Rafa is at his best he creates opportunities in rallies and dictates. It was difficult to change.”
