Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters—Monte Carlo, Monaco
Top seed Rafael Nadal further solidified his status as the greatest clay-court player ever on Sunday at the Rolex Monte Carlo Masters, notching his 11th title in emphatic fashion over Kei Nishikori, 6-3, 6-2. In a match that was dominated by the Spaniard, Nadal struck three aces, won 74 percent of his first serve points and broke serve on four occasions. Never losing a set throughout the entire event, Nadal improved to 10-2 against Nishikori in lifetime meetings.
Having not competed on the main Tour since the Australian Open, Nadal won his 31st career Masters 1000 title and the 76th title of his illustrious career. Maintaining his world No.1 ranking with his victory in Monaco, Nadal will next head to Barcelona, Spain, where he will be in search of 11th title there as well.
Nishikori, who has struggled with injuries over the past year, defeated the likes of Marin Cilic, Alexander Zverev and Tomas Berdych en-route to the finals. The 26-year-old is currently ranked No. 36 in the world and will see his ranking hit around No. 20 when the latest rankings are released on Monday. Nishikori is also set to play in Barcelona, Spain next week.
