PARIS: Rafael Nadal’s final shot at the French Open was a typically ferocious forehand, and when it landed for a winner, his momentum and emotions sent him splaying backward onto the clay.
The champion quickly bounded to his feet and headed for the net at a trot.
It was time to collect his latest Roland Garros trophy.
Nadal became the first man to win eight titles at the same Grand Slam tournament when he beat fellow Spaniard David Ferrer in Sunday’s final, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3.
Nadal broke the men’s record for match wins at Roland Garros, where he improved to 59-1, with his lone defeat against Robin Soderling in 2009.
Nadal’s path to the title was more arduous than usual. He fell behind in each of his first three matches and needed a fifth-set comeback to beat Novak Djokovic in the semifinal. And the latest title was especially sweet because of his comeback after a seven-month layoff caused by knee trouble.
“I never dreamed about this kind of thing (winning eight titles),” Nadal said before being handed the Musketeers’ Cup by Olympic 100 metres champion Usain Bolt.
Ferrer had to settle for receiving the loudest round of applause from the 15,000 fans and the runners-up plate.
“These two weeks I played very good tennis but I would like to say that he deserves everything, he’s the best,” Ferrer said.
With his 12th Grand Slam championship, Nadal moved into a tie for third place with Roy Emerson behind Roger Federer’s 17 and Pete Sampras’ 14.
Nadal came into the final with a 16-match winning streak on clay against Ferrer, who was a big underdog playing in his first major final at age 31.
Ferrer had a few chances to make Nadal uneasy but converted only three of 12 break points and double-faulted five times.
As a result, Nadal was in control throughout, although he did wear a quizzical expression when protesters tried to delay the match in the second set.
One man jumped onto the court with a flare spurting white smoke and security personnel wrestled the protester and dragged him away.
Others, also brandishing red flares, climbed to the top of nearby Court Suzanne Lenglen and unfurled a banner calling for the resignation of French President Francois Hollande.
Both finalists grinded away from the baseline, with one rally lasting so long fans began to buzz, then started to shush each other.
Nadal misfired more than usual in the early going, perhaps adjusting to slow conditions. He gave back an early service break and had to erase two other break points in the opening set.
It was the first set Ferrer had lost in the tournament, and at that point, he knew he faced a daunting task.
Nadal broke again early in the second set, and then came Ferrer’s best chance to reverse the course of the match. At 3-1 he had four break points, but Nadal erased them all.
In the final set, Ferrer double-faulted to lose serve and fall behind 5-3, and Nadal needed only five points to close out the victory.
Nadal broke the record for most men’s victories at Roland Garros he had shared with Federer and Guillermo Vilas, and he improved to 20-4 against Ferrer. (AP)