This was the Spaniard’s first tournament win in Monte Carlo since winning the last of his eight straight titles there in 2012.
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With the win, Nadal has equalized the record of 28th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown and brought himself back alongside top-ranked Novak Djokovic.
He says the victory confirms that he is better and he’s very happy after what has been an emotional week for him. “Monte Carlo is one of the most important places for me without a doubt”.
Nadal had last won an ATP title at Hamburg in July 2015. Victory capped a stunning week for Nadal, who has struggled for form since taking seven months out because of a knee injury, and withdrawing from last month’s Miami Open due to a virus.No British player has reached the final in Monte Carlo since Welshman Mike Davies finished runner-up in 1960, and Murray looked well set to end that long barren run. “Every year is different; I’ll never be the same as I was in 2009 or 2013, I want to play better every day”. “Last year was a tough year”.
“I was expecting a hard match, and that is exactly what happened”.
“I couldn’t contain him when he started to speed up”, Monfils said.
“I’ve been a couple of time without winning big, big tournaments, I’m enjoying this moment”.
On Sunday, a double fault from Monfils, closed out the first set in Nadal’s favor and the Spaniard recovered from losing the second to see off the 13th seed Frenchman in two hours and 46 minutes. You’re just submissive to his power.
“Congratulations to Rafa”, Monfils said.
Nadal served for the first set at 5-3 only to watch, stunned, as a Monfils forehand drive skirted the paint for break-point.
“It has been a very important week for me”, said Nadal after his first Masters title since 2014 Madrid and his biggest title since the 2014 French Open.
In a contest between two 29-year-olds with differing career trajectories, Monfils was rank outsider. This was the first time he had taken a set off Nadal on clay in his career.
Nadal still made 36 unforced errors while the colourful Monfils struck in excess of 50.
At least Monfils will be fresh, having eased past Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-1, 6-3 in an all-French semifinal, breaking Tsonga’s serve six times in less than half the time Nadal spent turning the table on Murray.
Nadal beat Murray in three sets, 2-6 6-4 6-2 and this time he was the one who delivered the comeback victory after suffering from collapses in the crucial part of matches in recent tournaments.
A rare comfortable hold from Nadal put him 6-5 up. While Monfils’s clay-court movement and defense is superb, so is Nadal’s.
However, it was in the third and final set that Nadal gained the upper hand as he raced into a 5-0 lead.
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Monfils broke him again with a brilliant forehand victor that landed right on the line for 4-3, only for Nadal to break him for 4-4. As confidence-boosting as those wins must have been, the jet fuel that propelled him to the final was probably provided way back in Round 3 by Dominic Thiem.
