Rafael Nadal has won a record ninth French Open title thanks to a four-set victory over Novak Djokovic in Paris.
The world number one saw off the Serbian 3-6 7-5 6-2 6-4 on Sunday to lift the trophy for a fifth consecutive time.
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There was little to separate the players at the start of the opening set as gruelling rallies dictated the play. However, Djokovic broke late on to establish a 5-3 lead before serving it out 6-3.
Nadal fought back in the second and broke the Serbian to go 4-2 ahead, but Djokovic took advantage of an uncharacteristically sloppy game from Nadal to break back instantly before levelling up at 4-4.
The Spaniard then squandered a break point that would have allowed him to serve out the set, though it mattered little as he went on to clinch it 7-5.
Djokovic, so often a model of stamina, began to wane in the third, and Nadal made sure that he seized control of the set by powering his way into a commanding 3-0 lead.
Nadal continued to make his opponent work for everything after that before breaking for a second time to win the one-sided set 6-2.
With the clock passing the three-hour mark, an error-strewn game from Djokovic saw Nadal move 4-2 in front during the fourth set, only for the world number two to break back soon after.
Djokovic looked to be enjoying something of a resurgence as the set headed towards the tie-break, but it was clay-court maestro Nadal who broke again to seal the triumph 3-6 7-5 6-2 6-4.
Jack Prescott
