Champion Rafael Nadal Final score 6–3, 6–2, 6–3 men women | Runner-up David Ferrer Singles men Doubles men | |
Rafael Nadal was the three-time defending champion and successfully defended his title by defeating compatriot and good friend David Ferrer who reached his first Grand Slam final 6–3, 6–2, 6–3.
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Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal were placed in the same half of the draw at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time since the 2010 French Open. In their semifinal, they played a notably long match which lasted 4:37 hours and was dubbed one of the greatest matches to have ever been played and the best clay court match ever. Nadal eventually came through 6–4, 3–6, 6–1, 6–7, 9–7.
With Roger Federer's quarterfinal loss, a new French Open finalist was guaranteed from the bottom half of the draw, and David Ferrer successfully reached the final in straight sets, meaning there would be an all-Spanish Grand Slam final for the first time since 2002. In beating Ferrer in the final, Nadal became the first man in history to win any Grand Slam tournament eight times and overtook Björn Borg and Rod Laver in total Grand Slam titles with 12, tying with Australian Roy Emerson. He also tied with Max Decugis, who won eight titles when the tournament was only open to French club members.
Despite the victory, Nadal dropped one place down the rankings to world no. 5, in the week beginning 10 June 2013, following Ferrer's run to the final.
Road to the final
For the first time in his career, Rafael Nadal lost a set in both of the first two rounds. In the semi-finals, he faced off against world number one Novak Djokovic. In an epic five setter, Nadal triumphed 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-7 (3-7), 9-7.
David Ferrer advanced to the final of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career. He did not lose a single set in the tournament before the final.
Final
Third-seeded Nadal from Spain faced off against fourth-seeded David Ferrer in the finals of the French Open. Both players employed the same strategy, trying to win points from the baseline. Nadal won a break early in the first set, but lost it back quickly and had to fend off two other break points during the set. Nadal ending up winning the first set 6–3. Down 3–1 in the second set, Ferrer had four break points to get back into the set. However, Nadal fought them all off, winning the last point on a 31-shot rally, the longest of the match. From there he cruised to a 6–2 set victory. Aided by a Ferrer double fault on break point, Nadal took the third set 6–3 for a three set to none victory.
Nadal had been dominant on clay during his career, but took seven months off from mid-2012 to February 2013 to recover from a knee injury. He showed few signs of the injury during the final as he tracked down balls from corner to corner and hit numerous topspin-laden winners. "This one is very special one," said Nadal after the match. "When you have period of time like I had, you realize that you don't know if you will have the chance to be back here with this trophy another time."
The two-hour sixteen-minute match was briefly interrupted by noisy protesters, one of whom ran onto the court with a lit flare. Tournament director Gilbert Ysern said security "acted efficiently and quickly and handled [the situation] very well." Both players appeared to be rattled by the event, dropping serve immediately after it. "I felt a little bit scared at the first moment because I didn't see what's going on. I just turned there and I watch a guy with some fire," remarked Nadal. Ferrer said the event did not affect his play. Ten people were arrested in total.
With his win, Nadal became the first man to win the same Grand Slam event eight times. It was his 12th major overall, putting him tied for third on the all-time list behind Roger Federer (17) and Pete Sampras (14). He is 59–1 all time in Paris. Nadal broke the men's record for most victories at the French Open and improved to 20–4 against Ferrer.