Two weeks ago, Rafael Nadal won his fifth straight Monte Carlo championship, a feat unequaled in tennis history. Over the weekend at the Foro Italico tennis complex, this 22-year-old Mallorcan attained another one-of-a-kind accomplishment in a career that is already rewriting the record books.

Nadal is not a graybeard in his sport, but the lethal lefty is quickly compiling the portfolio of an all-time legend. Toni Nadal’s prize pupil won the Rome Masters–formerly called the Italian Open–for a record fourth time on Sunday, defeating Novak Djokovic, 7-6 (2), 6-2, in a final that featured uneven but feisty tennis. The world No. 1 now owns his fifth ATP title of 2009, a 30-match claycourt winning streak, and–in the bigger picture–a body of work that is steadily eclipsing his most storied predecessors.

Bjorn Borg couldn’t conquer Rome on four separate occasions. Neither did other claycourt stars of the Open Era, such as Guillermo Vilas and Ivan Lendl. This victory over the gallant but ultimately inferior Djokovic allowed Nadal to surpass Austrian dirtballer Thomas Muster (owner of the 1990, 1995, and 1996 Italian Open titles) as the greatest male tennis player in the history of the Foro Italico, the facility that has hosted the Rome championships since 1935 (the event began in Milan in 1930). Week by week, Nadal just keeps gobbling up trophies on the terre battue of Europe. This steady stream of triumphant Sunday moments–complete with 1,000-point ATP rankings bonanzas and maximum-size paychecks–is only making it harder to ignore the notion that Nadal is the best claycourt player in the history of men’s tennis. That’s no small thing to say about a young man who is still a month shy of his 23rd birthday. What’s even more remarkable, however, is that such a statement is worth taking seriously.

To put this latest Rome win in perspective for Nadal, the first thing that needs to be said is that Rafa prevailed against the man who–at least for now–has vaulted past Roger Federer as the world’s second-best claycourt competitor. In past claycourt swings through the European continent, it was Federer who normally opposed Nadal in Masters finals. This year, Djokovic has become the man standing in the way of more Nadal titles on crushed red brick. The 21-year-old Serb was there to make Rafa fight for the Monte Carlo crown on April 19, as Djokovic took a set from the king of clay before falling in three. On Sunday at Stadio Pietrangeli, Djokovic–infused with a new dose of competitive cockiness–had once again earned the right to deny Nadal a piece of history. The best player on the planet might have been the favorite as he took the court, but the third-seeded Serb on the other side of the net possessed the game–and the grit–needed to author a different narrative. Nadal would have to beat a thoroughly worthy opponent in order to win more laurels. That much was clear even before this match began.

When mortal combat commenced on stadium court in Rome, a few amazing moments suggested that–for a few brief but emotionally charged minutes–an upset was entirely possible.

Nadal served for the first set at 5-4, only for Djokovic–fresh from his improbable comeback win over Federer in Saturday’s semifinals–to break back for 5-all. When Nadal then returned the favor to gain a 6-5 lead, everyone in the crowd except for those flying Serbian flags (and even some of them might have had their doubts) had to think that the first set would go to the Spaniard who has ruled tennis with an iron fist since the spring of 2008. When Nadal–given a second chance to serve out the set–gained a 30-love lead, the matter seemed to be a foregone conclusion.

Djokovic, though, would not concede the issue.

The Serb battled to 30-all, and then engaged his opponent in a classic duel-at-ten-paces exchange near the net. Djokovic hit a sharp backhand volley that gave himself a brief bit of leverage, but a stunning reaction from Nadal produced a stab forehand volley winner that gave the Mallorcan a set point. It was hard enough to beat the king of clay in any circumstance; to overcome a demoralizing loss of a point at 5-6, 30-all would require more mental stamina than most mortals possess.

Djokovic–at least for the time being–owned that extra dimension of willpower.

The Serb, pushed to the brink, responded on the ensuing set point by knifing away another crosscourt backhand volley to fight to deuce. Djokovic then won yet another highlight-reel point by retrieving a drop shot with an authoritative angled backhand winner. Given a break point by his remarkable display of poise, Djokovic earned a tiebreak when Nadal mishit a backhand.

It was improbable, but it had come to pass: Novak Djokovic watched Rafael Nadal serve twice for the first set; watched the Spaniard gain a 30-love lead in the twelfth game of the set; and watched the Mallorcan win an epic point to earn a set point. Yet, in spite of all those deficits and setbacks, the bulldog from Belgrade always dug in his heels. The reward for such uncommon determination was a first-set tiebreak. Just a few more winning points, and Djokovic would legitimately have plunged Rafa into a state of deep and alarming concern.

Just when the first set finally appeared winnable, however, Djokovic’s airtight focus in pressure-cooker situations abruptly vanished. A number of missed drop shots and sprayed backhands by the world No. 3 (who, upon losing the match, fell behind Andy Murray to the No. 4 spot in the ATP rankings) allowed Nadal to claim the tiebreak without much trouble, and win a set that was in danger of slipping away. Djokovic had climbed many mountains, only to lose the plot amidst the tension of the tiebreak.

Once Nadal surmounted that unexpectedly tall hurdle, the second set unfolded with a smaller amount of drama. Djokovic fought tooth and nail through the first four games of the set, but at 2-2, the Serb’s serve was broken… as was his will. Djokovic needed to become a front-runner for the rest of the match, after falling behind against tennis’s most ruthless closer. Therefore, when Nadal broke for a 3-2 lead in the second stanza, the Italian crowd’s dip in energy conveyed the truth everyone could apprehend: Nadal just wasn’t losing this match, and his increasingly powerful grip on men’s claycourt tennis. “El Rey de Clay,” once in possession of that one-break lead, reeled off three more games in succession to put a quick end to the confrontation. Djokovic couldn’t complain about another strong showing, another Masters final, and another semifinal slaying of Mr. Federer. In the end, though, only Rafa Nadal could bask in the glow of another enormous accomplishment.

Two formidable competitors contested the Rome Masters on a sun-kissed Sunday afternoon. Only one of those men, however, was able to match the moment. Nadal’s win–as valuable as it is within the more narrow context of claycourt tennis–also allowed the Mallorcan to win his 15th Masters shield, surpassing Federer for second on the all-time list. Only Andre Agassi (17 Masters titles) owns more of these lustrous championships.

It’s simply becoming plainer by the week: Rafael Nadal, on the heels of yet another significant title, is in full command of his sport, on clay and everywhere else. The word “master” truly applies to a special specimen who, though young in years, is crafting a resume that usually takes a decade to create.

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WTA Update – Porsche Tennis Grand Prix – Stuttgart

Sunday’s Final

(5) Svetlana Kuznetsova d. (1) Dinara Safina, 6-4, 6-3

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