That did not take long. One week after relinquishing the top spot in the ATP Rankings, Rafael Nadal will make his return to No. 1.

Nadal is set to embark on his 174th week at the pinnacle of men’s tennis after ousting Alexander Zverev 6-1, 1-6, 6-3, in a pulsating final at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Sunday. He capped another dominant week on the dirt, capturing his third ATP World Tour title in less than a month.

After five years, the Spaniard is back in the winners’ circle in Rome. He notched an unprecedented eighth crown at the iconic Foro Italico, adding to victories in 2005-07, 2009-10 and 2012-13. Nadal was at his ruthless best once again and following a quarter-final defeat to Dominic Thiem last week in Madrid, he was even more determined to lift another trophy.

Nadal also added a slice of history with his victory in the Eternal City. The 31-year-old now stands alone in fourth place on the Open Era titles list, adding a 78th piece of silverware to pass John McEnroe. Only Jimmy Connors (109), Roger Federer (97) and Ivan Lendl (94) remain ahead of him.

Open Era Title Leaders

Zverev sprinted out of the gates on an overcast late afternoon in the Italian capital, snatching an immediate break in the first game. The German looked to continue to play aggressive, first-strike tennis, which is exactly what saw him win 13 straight matches and reach consecutive ATP World Tour Masters 1000 finals.

The Foro Italico is Nadal’s playground and he would strike back with considerable aplomb. The Spaniard broke right back to love with a sublime drop shot, and he would secure another break with a cross-court forehand winner two games later. Zverev had no answer for Nadal’s penetrating groundstrokes and devastating return game.

But Zverev would respond in kind to open the second set, suddenly raising his level and out of nowhere the 21-year-old reeled off five straight games. If you turned away for a minute, you missed it. Matching Nadal’s pace and depth off the ground, the World No. 3 fired back to force a decider. It ended Nadal’s streak of 17 consecutive sets won in clay-court finals.

And as Zverev carried the momentum into the third set with another break, the drama built to a crescendo as the skies closed and rain began to fall on Centrale. A pair of delays suspended play for a combined 55 minutes, with Zverev leading 3-2. But the rain would dampen the German’s momentum, and Nadal snatched the initiative upon resumption. Zverev would not win another game. The World No. 1 drew level and grabbed another break for 5-3, before closing out his eighth Rome title with a brilliant drop volley winner.

Nadal secured the title after two hours and nine minutes, firing 19 total winners, including nine off his backhand wing. Zverev, meanwhile, launched 21 winners, but made 28 unforced errors. The Spaniard dominated the shorter rallies, claiming the majority under five shots by a count of 33-25.

Victory in Rome was well deserved for the now 32-time Masters 1000 champion. Earlier in the week, Nadal got his revenge over Denis Shapovalov after falling to the surging teen in Montreal last year, and he would overcome home favourite Fabio Fognini from a set down. On Saturday, longtime rival Novak Djokovic, who defeated Nadal in his two final losses in Rome, was ousted in straight sets by the Spaniard.

Despite the loss, Zverev will ascend to the top of the ATP Race To London standings on Monday. Following victories in Munich and Madrid, he saw his win streak snapped at 13 straight in his bid to retain the Rome title.

Tour-Level Match Wins Leaders In 2018

Zverev, who owns a tour-leading 30 match wins this year, will next turn his attention to Roland Garros, where he hopes to dethrone Nadal and stop the Spaniard from claiming an ‘Undécima’ at the clay-court Grand Slam. And with only 10 points to defend in Paris, his quest continues to become the first player outside the Big Four to crack the Top 2 of the ATP Rankings in 13 years.

Did You Know?
Nadal extended his FedEx ATP Head2Head record to a perfect 5-0 against Zverev, marking the second time he has prevailed this year. Last month he earned a straight-set win in Davis Cup action.

The fireworks will be flying on Sunday at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, as the two hottest players on the ATP World Tour are set for a championship clash in Rome. 

Top seed and seven-time champion Rafael Nadal will square off against second seed and reigning titlist Alexander Zverev in a highly-anticipated showdown on the clay of the Foro Italico. It is only fitting that the gladiators renew their budding rivalry in Rome, with plenty on the line for both players.

One year after making his debut appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals, Zverev is well on his way to return to The O2. The German is assured of securing the top spot in the ATP Race To London on Monday with his successful week in Rome. He has dominated the ATP World Tour in recent months, posting a 21-2 record on the circuit since mid-March, which has vaulted the 21-year-old to the Race lead as we enter Roland Garros.

Zverev still has plenty at stake against Nadal, however, as he also seeks to continue to close the gap on the Top 2 of the ATP Rankings. And with only 10 points to defend at the second Grand Slam of the year, a win on Sunday would be another important step in his quest to become the first player outside the Big Four to crack the Top 2 in 13 years.

View FedEx ATP Head2Head for the following match from the 2018 Internazionali BNL d’Italia & vote for who you think will win! 
Nadal vs Zverev 

“There’s not much you need to say about him,” Zverev, who now owns a tour-leading 30 match wins this year, said about Nadal. “I’m definitely not the favourite in this matchup, but I’ll be ready for it and I’ll do everything I can to recover. We’ll see how it goes tomorrow.”

ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Title Leaders

As if Nadal needs any additional motivation to secure an unprecedented 32nd Masters 1000 crown and eighth in the Eternal City, the Spaniard will be eyeing a return to World No. 1 in the ATP Rankings with a win on Sunday. After relinquishing the No. 1 mantle following a quarter-final defeat to Dominic Thiem at the Mutua Madrid Open, Nadal is poised to reclaim his throne for a 174th week.

“If I am back to No. 1, it’s great,” said Nadal on Saturday. “Better than to be No. 2, it’s true. My motivation is to win a title and I am playing for this tomorrow.”

Zverev enters Sunday’s showdown in the midst of a 13-match unbeaten run, having dropped just two sets in that span. But Nadal will take great confidence from a streak of his own. The Manacor native owns a perfect 4-0 mark in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, including a recent 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 victory in Davis Cup action last month. He also claimed wins in Indian Wells in 2016 and last year at both the Australian Open at Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

Both players will be battle tested as they enter Centrale once again, with Nadal overcoming Novak Djokovic on Saturday, in what was the 51st meeting between the two titans, and Zverev outlasting Marin Cilic under the lights. The top-seeded Spaniard is also coming off a comeback victory over Fabio Fognini in the quarter-finals, having stormed back from a set down to defeat the home favourite. 

And if Nadal is to add a 78th piece of silverware to his burgeoning trophy case, he will claim yet another slice of history. Victory over Zverev would see him climb past John McEnroe for solo fourth place on the Open Era titles list. Only Jimmy Connors (109), Roger Federer (97) and Ivan Lendl (94) remain ahead of the 31-year-old.

Tour-Level Match Wins Leaders In 2018

On the other side of the net, victory for Zverev would put the 21-year-old in an exclusive club as just the third player to complete the Madrid-Rome double. Only Nadal (2010 & ’13) and Djokovic (2011) have done so since the current Masters 1000 format was established in 2009. Zverev is also bidding to become the first player outside of the Big Four to successfully defend a Masters 1000 crown since Juan Carlos Ferrero achieved the feat in Monte-Carlo in 2002-03. 

Read More: Zverev Extends Streak, Reaches Rome Final

“We’ve had some very tough matches,” Zverev added, referring to his previous meetings with Nadal. “In Indian Wells, I lost with a match point and in Australia we went five sets. Obviously we had some great battles and I’ve always enjoyed playing him. He’s the greatest of all time on clay, but hopefully I can prepare the best I can for tomorrow.”

Prior to this week, 17-year-old Rudolf Molleker had never won a match on the ATP Challenger Tour.

But now, the German youngster, appearing in just his third main-draw at Challenger level, is bidding to become the youngest Challenger finalist of 2018 (17 years, seven months).

Expected to rise almost 100 places into the Top 400 of the ATP Rankings on Monday, Molleker has defeated back-to-back seeds at the Heilbronner Neckarcup to reach the semi-finals. The German upset fourth-seeded countryman Yannick Hanfmann and seventh seed Alexey Vatutin in three sets to make headlines at the ATP Challenger Tour’s 2017 Tournament of the Year.

“This is not expected,” admitted Molleker. “But I think that at the moment I’m playing very good tennis. I have now achieved three great wins and you can’t say I was lucky. I know I can beat the top players. We’ve seen that. I just need to be more consistent.”

Inspired by World No. 3 Alexander Zverev, who won the title in Heilbronn in 2015, Molleker looks to follow in the footsteps of the three-time ATP Masters 1000 titlist.

“Sascha [Zverev] is an absolutely exceptional player,” said Molleker. “Of course I hope that my career will be similar, but until then I still have a very long way to go.”

It is not just present German stars motivating the 17-year-old as he breaks through at Challenger level however, the Ukraine-born star also received advice from former World No. 1 Boris Becker during a recent German Tennis Federation seminar.

“We talked about the mental part of my tennis,” shared Molleker. “I know that I can have a good technique and strong game, but sometimes it just does not hit me mentally. Boris [Becker] has given me some tips on how to improve myself in this area. That’s the part that I pay special attention to in the game.”

Despite the parallels to Zverev in Heilbronn and the attention from Becker, Molleker does not feel a sense of pressure as Germany’s latest #NextGenATP hope. The 6’1” right-hander displays maturity beyond his years, focussing instead on how the added attention can be of a benefit to his career ambitions.

“I do not see that as pressure, but as possibility,” said Molleker. “Without this, I would not have received a wild card for the Neckarcup. I think I have justified the confidence placed in me by winning and I am glad that the tournament continues for me.”

The #NextGenATP German, who reached his first ATP World Tour main draw at the 2017 German Tennis Championships, plans to spend the majority of this season playing more Challenger events; a tier of the sport that Molleker possesses an added level of appreciation for.

“Together with my coach, we’ve decided that this year I will be mainly playing Challenger tournaments to earn points for the ATP Rankings,” shared Molleker. “I am thankful to be given a wild card here in Heilbronn this week. My next highlight will be Roland Garros juniors in Paris. But I like it better in Challengers. Here, players do better to create points and there seems to be more of a system behind it. You know why you play each ball and where you hit it. I feel that is easier for me.”