Nadal wins eighth Rome title and reclaims No.1 ranking

Rafael Nadal won his eighth Rome title – and first for five years – with a pulsating win over Alexander Zverev that also took the Spaniard back to the top of the rankings.

Nadal came through a tense final set to beat Germany’s world No.3 6-1 1-6 6-3 in the final of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

He replaces Roger Federer as world No.1 just a week after losing top spot following his early exit at the Madrid Open, and claims his 78th career title – overtaking John McEnroe to go fourth on the all-time list.

REPORT: Svitolina thrashes Halep to retain Rome title

“Such an important week to have this trophy with me again after losing in the quarter-finals in Madrid. It was unforgettable and emotional for me,” said Nadal.

“It’s amazing to win eight titles in Rome. It’s a difficult event and to have the chance to win again here means a lot. This is the moment to enjoy winning here again.”

32nd Masters 1000 title for @RafaelNadal and back to World No.1 tomorrow!

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— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) May 20, 2018

Sunday’s victory for Nadal also brought a halt to a 13-match winning streak for Zverev that included back-to-back titles in Munich and Madrid.

Zverev made a fast start, breaking serve in the opening game and building an early lead before Nadal hit back with two breaks to take the set.

A blistering run of five straight games in the second set said that Zverev was not going to be brushed aside, however, and the German led 3-2 in the decider when the rain intervened.

Play was held up for almost an hour and on the resumption, Nadal came back to win four games in a row and seal his first win in the Italian capital since 2013.

“Next time, I have to find a way to come out better after the rain and play better tennis,” said Zverev.

“He came out way faster and played much more aggressive than I did.

“Rafa is somebody that if you’re not in the match and if you’re not feeling the ball well, you have no chance.”