French Open Tennis 2012: Rafael Nadal Evens Rivalry with Novak Djokovic

After losing seven consecutive finals and three straight majors to Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal got revenge on the red clay of Roland Garros on Monday, defeating the world No. 1 in four sets to capture his seventh career French Open title.

The 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 7-5 victory wasn't easy, as rain delayed the match, but Nadal battled to overcome a 2-1 Djokovic advantage in the fourth set and trump the Serb's comeback attempt.

It was a huge victory for Nadal, who has already had a few huge victories in his illustrious career. While 2011 may have seen Djokovic win the last three sets, Nadal made it clear that this is a different year, and he's actually playing better than last year.

Nadal is now 40-4 on the year, with four singles titles and one Grand Slam singles title. Djokovic is 36-6, with two singles titles, including a victory at the Australian Open. All of a sudden, Djokovic isn't an impenetrable, unstoppable force and Nadal appears to have a shot at winning three straight majors much like Djokovic did upon winning in Australia.

Of course, Monday's affair must be taken with a grain of salt. This has always been Nadal's favorite major— seven of his 11 Grand Slam singles titles have come at Roland Garros. He won the French Open last year despite Djokovic's dominance (although he didn't face Djokovic in that tournament).

Nadal isn't just a clay-court master, however. He showed from 2008 to 2010 that he could assert his will on the grass courts, capturing Wimbledon in 2008 and 2010 and the U.S. Open in 2010. He's undoubtedly grown as a player, and he's become a great threat on the grass courts.

What does it all mean? It means that Nadal isn't ready to cede men's tennis to Djokovic, and it sets up brilliant tennis moving forward. 

If Djokovic doesn't watch out, the No. 1 world ranking won't be his for much longer. Take it from his greatest rival to date.

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