Nadal savours Rome victory

Originally published on: 20/05/13 00:00

The defending French Open champion produced a supreme performance on the clay at Foro Italico to defeat Roger Federer 6-1 6-3 and claim his 24th Masters 1000 title.

The Spaniard, who moves back up to world No.4 with the victory and will be seeded fourth in Paris, has now won six titles since his return from a knee injury in February.

His form in Rome will lead many to consider him the favourite to defend his title at Roland Garros next month, but Nadal insists he is not yet thinking about the second Grand Slam of the year, which starts on May 26.

"If you told me four or five months ago that after eight tournaments I would have won six titles from eight finals, I would say you are crazy," Nadal said. "To win three Masters 1000 and two 500 tournaments is more than I ever dreamed.

"All I can say is thank you for the support and to my team. Thanks to them I have the chance to be here again and compete. I don’t want to think about Roland Garros yet. Let me enjoy this victory."

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