No. 8, 2012: Nadal wins record seventh French Open by ending seven-match losing streak to Djokovic

As 36-year-old Rafael Nadal ramps up for what may be his final swing through the clay courts of Europe, we look back at the 10 matches that made him the undisputed King of Clay.

• MATCH 1: 2003 Monte Carlo, second round: Nadal d. Costa, 7-5, 6-3
• MATCH 2:
• MATCH 3:
• MATCH 4: 2005 Roland Garros, semifinal: Nadal d. Federer, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3
• MATCH 5:
• MATCH 6:
• MATCH 7:

MATCH 8: 2012 Roland Garros, final: Nadal d. Novak Djokovic, 6-4, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5

When you lose seven times, that stays in your mind, no?

When was Nadal officially crowned the King of Clay? That’s not how these things work, of course, but the closest we’re going to get to a coronation moment is his win at Roland Garros in 2012. With that victory, he passed Bjorn Borg for the most men’s French Open titles in the Open Era, with seven. When it comes to measuring greatness in tennis, Grand Slams have become our be-all and end-all. If you have the most, you’re the best.

But No. 7 was a remarkable moment in Rafa’s career for other reasons. Nadal won it over a man who had become his nemesis, in a way no other player ever had or will. He won it over two days, in wildly fluctuating and frustrating conditions. And he won it despite having the closest thing he has ever had to a meltdown in an important match.

From March 2011 to April 2012, Nadal lost seven straight times to Djokovic. Seven losses at any level is bad, of course; but suffering through them in Grand Slam finals or Masters 1000 finals is even more painful. In 2011, Djokovic topped Nadal at Wimbledon and the US Open, as well as Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid and Rome. That’s right, even on clay. But the worst was yet to come. In the 2012 Australian Open final, Rafa fought Djokovic tooth and nail for nearly six hours, led by a break in the fifth set, yet still lost.

It was clay that finally came to the rescue. In the spring of 2012, Nadal snapped his run of futility with wins over Djokovic in the Monte Carlo and Rome finals. As noted above, though, the Slams are the ultimate measure, and Nadal still hadn’t beaten Djokovic at a major since 2010.

He had surrendered everything to Djokovic except Roland Garros. What if he took that away from him, too?

Was it even possible anymore? At Roland Garros that year, the Serb was trying to become the first man to win four majors in a row since Rod Laver did it in 1969. In Paris, Djokovic pulled off back-to-back Houdini acts, coming back from two sets down to beat Andreas Seppi, and saving four—count ’em, four—match points against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the quarterfinals. In those days, when all seemed lost, Djokovic was at his most dangerous. Time and again, when he was down in a match, he would pull the ripcord, swing with total freedom, and hit his way out of trouble.

For a little over a set, it looked like he might even do it to Nadal in Court Philippe Chatrier.

The first two sets of this final went according to the standard script. Nadal and Djokovic traded ground strokes, engaged in arduous rallies, and moved each other all over the court. But Rafa’s heavy topspin, expert use of angles and total command of clay-court footwork gave him an edge. Despite intermittent rain, he won the first two sets fairly routinely. When he broke Djokovic and went up 2-0 to start the third, it looks like title No. 7 was all but his.

Then two things happened: The rain began to get heavier, and so did Djokovic’s shots. With nothing to lose, he relaxed and let the ball fly; even Nadal was helpless against the onslaught. From 0-2 down in the third, Djokovic won eight games in a row, an indignity Rafa hadn’t suffered in Paris since his debut seven years before. When the balls weren’t flying past him, Nadal was holding them up to tournament referee Stefan Fransson to show how heavy and fluffed up they were getting in the sodden, quickly darkening conditions. With Djokovic up 2-1 in the fourth, play was finally halted, but Nadal was hardly satisfied.

“The court is the same as it was an hour ago, and now we go off?” he barked at Fransson in frustration.

Nadal admitted that when he went out to warm up the next morning, he wasn’t sure he could deal with the moment. He had surrendered everything to Djokovic except Roland Garros. What if he took that away from him, too?

Fortunately, for Rafa, it felt like a new day. The rain was gone, the sun came out, and Djokovic’s seemingly unstoppable momentum had been stopped. Nadal broke back, and the two played evenly until Djokovic served at 5-6. With the crowd chanting for him, Djokovic sent a forehand well long to make the score 30-30, and then, at match point, in one of the ultimate anti-climaxes in tennis history, he double faulted.

Nadal’s celebration may have been his most emotional at Roland Garros. Wiping away tears, he leaped into his player box and hugged every single person in it with abandon. Yes, he had passed Borg. More important, he had slayed the Djokovic dragon.

Afterward, Rafa was asked if he was the best-ever on clay.

“I’m not the one to say,” he responded.

The rest of us, though, were free to answer.

Tomorrow: The rematch