Rafael Nadal produced a stunning display to defeat Novak Djokovic in straight sets in the Roland Garros final, matching Roger Federer’s tally of 20 Grand Slam titles.

The Mallorcan recorded a 6-0 6-2 7-5 victory – his 100th at Roland Garros – to win his 13th crown in Paris. He is just the fifth player in history to reach 20 major singles titles, after Federer, Margaret Court, Serena Williams and Steffi Graf. And, for the first time in their rivalry, he is level with Federer on the Grand Slam title leaderboard.

“Personally I just try to follow my road, try my best every single day. In terms of these records, of course I care,” Nadal reflected later. “I am a big fan of the history of sport in general. I respect that a that. For me it means a lot to share this number with Roger.”

If, at the beginning of the year, you had predicted that Rafael Nadal would win his 20th Grand Slam title and equal Federer’s all-time record for most major men’s singles titles on the red clay of Roland Garros, few eyebrows would have been raised.

What no one could have foreseen was that it would happen on a cold, drizzly Autumn afternoon under the brand-new roof on Court Philippe-Chatrier and in front of 14,000 empty seats. One of the most significant moments in the sport’s history, and yet there were just few hundred people there to witness it in person.

But, amidst all the strangeness of Roland Garros this year, there was something reassuring about watching two of the greatest competitors in the sport battling for the title at a Grand Slam for a record-equalling ninth time.

“I was not confident, because you can't be too confident going on court against Novak,” Nadal said of his pre-match attitude. “But I had positive thinking I will be able to play a good match.”

A “good match” is something of an understatement. Nadal was, without question, the better player, but the scoreline does not fully encapsulate the role that Djokovic played in the contest, nor does it give an accurate reflection of the quality of the match. Had Djokovic taken a few more chances (he missed three break point opportunities in the first set, while Nadal took three of the six that came his may), the match may have proved to be quite different.

As it was, the opening set was just the fourth time in his career that Djokovic had lost a set 6-0 at a Grand Slam, but the reason for that owed at least as much to Nadal’s performance than to Djokovic’s errors.

The Serb finally got on the board at the beginning of the second set – 55 minutes into the contest – but Nadal won the next five games in a row to snuff out any glimmer of hope that Djokovic may have had of levelling things up. The Nadal unforced error count crept up from a scarcely believable two in the opening set to four in the second, with Djokovic having to scrap for almost every point that went his way. He could not prevent Nadal serving out comfortably for a two-set lead and leave himself with a mountain to climb.

Nadal had lost from two-sets-to-love up on just two occasions. And another early break suggested that he would wrap this up quickly. But Djokovic’s fighting spirit kept him in the contest – he finally broke the Nadal serve on his 10th attempt to even things up. A break of serve for Nadal in the 11th game of the set gave a chance to serve for the title. He did not pass it up, holding confidently to love and finishing with an ace that kissed the apex of service box and sideline.

“He was playing all the right shots today,” was Djokovic’s simple analysis. “It's just one of these days where you have to just say, Chapeau, and well done.”

Beyond the headline stats and records, a few other numbers underline Nadal’s achievements here. It is the fourth time that he has won a Grand Slam title without dropping a set, having also done so at Roland Garros in 2008, 2010 and 2017. That makes him the first man in the Open Era to win four Grand Slam titles without dropping a set, ahead of Bjorn Borg, who managed it three times.

Nadal’s latest triumph is also the sixth Grand Slam title he has won since turning 30 – a new Open Era record, moving ahead of Djokovic’s mark of five major titles since his 30th birthday.

Djokovic still has plenty time on his side. He is a year younger than Nadal and remains the world No. 1, having lost just twice this year. And his comments after the match suggest that he will have little trouble keeping things in perspective, despite defeat today.

“I'm just very blessed and grateful to have the life that I have right now, without a doubt,” he said afterwards. “I have to constantly repeat that to myself, that nothing should be taken for granted. I keep on working, keep on enjoying this sport. Of course, defeats like this are never really enjoyable, but in the greatest of defeats you learn the greatest lessons as a tennis player, but as a person as well.”

Nadal, too, was certainly aware that this triumph, however sweet, pales in comparison to the pandemic that the world is dealing with at the moment.

“Of course I am super happy,” he said. “On the other hand, I am not as happy as usual because the situation is tough for most people around the world. We didn't enjoy, as always, a full crowd, an amazing atmosphere.

“The situation still sad. We are lucky enough to be able to practice, to play our sport, to have a tour. We can't thank enough to the ATP and to Roland Garros and to the US Open and to everybody who made big efforts to organize events under these very difficult circumstances.

“But I don't forget how tough the situation in the world is. I just really hope that the situation improves very soon.”

Hopefully the Parisian crowds will be able to return in time for the 2021 edition of this tournament. For the evergreen Nadal, the chance to write yet more history in Paris awaits.