Return Winners: the 2009 Monte Carlo final

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic met in the 2009 Monte Carlo Masters final.

Starting off a season as the world’s top-ranked player for the first time, Rafael Nadal began 2009 with a victory at the Australian Open—his first title there, and third major in his past four events. Shortly after Melbourne, he won the first Masters event of 2009 in Indian Wells, but lost in the quarterfinals in Miami.

Still, his hard-court success created even greater expectations for the clay-court season, which he would start in Monte Carlo. Having won the tournament the previous four years, Nadal easily advanced to the final without the loss of a set. His opponent in the championship round had a much more difficult path: world No. 3 Novak Djokovic battled through three-setters in three of his four matches to reach the final for the first time.

Facing each other for the 16th time, Nadal held a 10-5 lead over his Serbian rival and had never lost to him on clay, which included a win in the first round of Davis Cup in 2009 Overcoming an early break, Nadal took the opening set 6-3 after winning five games in a row.

In the second set, though, Djokovic was able to put his lost opportunities behind him and step up the aggression on his return games. He broke Nadal in the first and fifth games to take the set 6-2, marking the first set Nadal had dropped at the tournament since the 2006 final against Roger Federer.

At the start of the decider, Djokovic earned three break points against Nadal, but was unable to convert any. The two then exchanged breaks before Nadal took complete control as he won the clincher 6-1 to capture his fifth Monte Carlo title in a row.

2

For the second time in Nadal’s career, Monte Carlo was the second Masters title of the year that he claimed. In both 2007 and ’09, the Spaniard won Indian Wells before the start of the spring clay stretch.

3

Djokovic dropped his third Masters final in a row, with his prior two losses coming to Andy Murray in Cincinnati in 2008 and Miami in ’09.

7

Nadal’s latest victory in Monte Carlo was the seventh time over the 2000s that a Spaniard won the title: Juan Carlos Ferrero took the title in 2002 and 2003.