TheCable

Rafael Nadal, Spanish tennis star player, has defeated Novak Djokovic, his Serbian counterpart, to claim his ninth Italian Open singles title.

Nadal claimed his 34th Masters crown on Sunday in Rome with a 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 win over Djokovic.

Djokovic produced an error-strewn performance in his 54th meeting with second-ranked Nadal, who claimed the 81st title of his career.

With Nadal’s victory, he has overtaken Djokovic at the top of the list of Masters’ winners.

Both were on the same level at 33 before today’s Italian Open final.

Djokovic and Nadal have clashed a record 56 times, with Djokovic leading the series 29-27.

Their previous meeting came in last year’s French Open final, where Nadal won in straight sets.

It was the sixth time they met in the final of the Italian Open, and Nadal now holds a 4-2 record over the Serb in the tournament.