Nadal takes 5th title in Monte Carlo

Rafael Nadal had to answer some tough questions from Serbia’s Novak Djokovic as he battled to his fifth consecutive Monte Carlo Masters title on Sunday.

Djokovic came out with gun blazing, taking the first three games of the first set before Nadal lashed back to take 6 games on the trot and the first set.

However, Djokovic dominated the second set, winning that battle 6-2 by using his power to keep Nadal pinned behind the baseline.

Djokovic threatened to extend his dominance in the third set when he came close to breaking Nadal’s first service game in a game that ran 14 minutes.

It was Nadal’s resilience that eventually won through, as the Spaniard prevented Djokovic from breaking his serve before powering to a 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 victory.

“A fifth victory here is a dream coming true. See you next year,” Nadal said after collecting the Monte Carlo Masters title for the fifth time in his career.