Novak Djokovic ended Rafael Nadal's incredible run in the Monte Carlo Masters, as the world number one defeated the kings of clay in straight sets in the final.
Djokovic clinched the Monte Carlos title with a 6-2, 7-6 (1) win over Nadal, snapping the Spaniard's 46-match winning streak in the Masters tournament.
Nadal had won an incredible eight straight titles on the clay courts of Monte Carlo, before Djokovic, who was a doubt at the start of the tournament due to an ankle injury, took advantage of a below-par Nadal.
"I think anybody who saw my expression in the end saw that it was a very emotional win for the reasons (of) living here and what I've been through in the last two weeks," Djokovic said.
"It's a very joyful moment for me. I wanted that trophy badly all my life, especially in the last six, seven years that I've been spending my time and living here between the tournaments in Monaco. This is a great confidence boost before the rest of the clay-court season."
Djokovic just keeps breaking the records against Nadal, becoming the first man to beat the Spaniard three times on clay in a final. The loss also snapped an incredible 81-match winning streak of Nadal on clay in April, with his last loss coming way back in 2005, incidentally the first year he won the Monte Carlo title, to Igor Andreev in the quarterfinals in Valencia.
"I knew after yesterday's (Saturday's) match that I had a feeling that I had a big chance to win against Rafa if I was on the top of my game," Djokovic added. "The first six, seven games, eight games, were unbelievable. It's the best that I can play on clay. It's the only way you can win against Rafa.
"It was very important for me because knowing that Rafa starts very strong from the first point. I had the right intensity on the court, the right kind of focus. The first five games was a perfect, perfect play."
Nadal insisted the loss was not a "tragedy", while admitting Djokovic was the better player in the final. "It is not a tragedy," Nadal said. "I lost after eight years without losing here.
"Today, he was better than me... He's a fantastic player. If you are not at 100 percent, (it) is very difficult to win against these kinds of players.
"His game is very complete. To win, I have to play my best and I have to bring him to the limit."
