Nadal Ousts Djokovic to Claim the 2012 Monte Carlo Masters Title
World number two-ranked Rafael Nadal of Spain has defeated world number one Novak Djokovic in the finals of the 2012 Monte Carlo Masters in straight sets, 6-3, 6-1. The win by Nadal ended Djokovic’s streak of seven consecutive wins over the Spaniard in title matches. Nadal had little trouble against Djokovic in this match and broke his serve five times in what turned out to be a one-sided affair. This is Nadal’s first title since the French Open in 2011 and the 47th overall of his career.
”I always loved this tournament since I was a kid," said Nadal. "One of my dreams was to play here. It’s an historic tournament (where) you see all your idols when you are a kid playing here.”
Nadal leads in the head-to-head series 17-14; however, this is his first win against Djokovic since a match at the 2010 ATP London Finals.
”Winning against Novak in (the) finals after losing a few ones is important for me,” Nadal said. ”My level of tennis was high during the last four matches.”
Djokovic did, however, have to play through the emotional toll of losing his grandfather. He stated that he was emotionally drained and unable to fight through to gain the needed mental strength.
”I definitely don’t want to take away anything from Rafa’s win. He was a better player,” Djokovic said. ”But it’s a fact that I just didn’t have any emotional energy left in me.”
Nadal proved to be aggressive and Djokovic held just his opening game at love.
"It’s been a tough week, not just for me but for everybody in my family," Djokovic said. "We’re going through this together. In the end, I played the final and I’m really happy for that."
