King Rafa retains crown in Rome

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Rafael Nadal overcame a spirited fightback from Alexander Zverev to win a record eighth Italian Open title.

The Spaniard came out firing on all cylinders and pocketed the opening set 6-1 in no time. However, world No. 3 Zverev emphatically clawed his way back into the game and went on to win nine of the next 11 games to take the second set 6-1 and lead 3-1 in the decider.

As the 21-year-old German, who had won 14 matches in a row and 30 matches in total this season, was sniffing a memorable victory over the veteran rival, Nadal bounced back in style to win the lengthy rain-delayed final 6-1 1-6 6-3.

The win will see Nadal regain the world number one ranking before the French Open which starts next Sunday.

“It's been an amazing week,” Nadal said. “In Madrid it was tough losing quarter-finals so to have this trophy with me again was unforgettable. It was an emotional final a tough one.”

Alexander Zverev (L) congratulates Rafael Nadal (R) after the Italian Open final, won by Nadal 6-1, 1-6, 6-3. /VCG Photo

Zverev, who will seek his maiden Grand Slam title in Paris, mentioned, “I think I was not far away from beating Rafa [Nadal] on a clay court in a Masters final, so I guess I can take that into Paris.”

Roger Federer had earlier returned to the top spot in the rankings when Nadal lost to Dominic Thiem at the Madrid Masters last week. That was the King of Clay’s only defeat on his pet surface this season. Meanwhile, Federer is sitting out the clay season to prepare for Wimbledon.

The 31-year-old has bagged three clay-court titles from four tournaments as he is gearing up for a record 11th French Open title at Roland Garros.

The win is Nadal's 78th ATP Tour title as he currently in fourth place in the list of most men's titles won in the Open era.

(With input from SNTV)