In the world of tennis, winning a Major is a huge milestone, but winning one without losing a single set is truly exceptional. Since 1968, only five athletes have managed this. Ken Rosewall was the first to do it at the 1971 Australian Open, and Ilie Nastase followed suit at Roland Garros two years later.
The legendary Bjorn Borg dominated the game between 1976 and 1980, achieving this flawless run three times at both Wimbledon and Roland Garros, a record that stood for four decades. Roger Federer later entered this exclusive circle at the 2007 Australian Open and did it again at Wimbledon ten years later, aged 36.
Then Rafael Nadal took the sport by storm, overwhelming his opponents to become the first player ever to secure four Major titles without dropping a set during this year's French Open.
Nadal's path to this record included dominant championship runs in Paris in 2008 and 2010, eventually equaling Bjorn Borg's mark in 2017. His triumph on October 11 marked his 13th Roland Garros title; by beating all seven of his opponents in straight sets, he reached a historic milestone and caught up to Roger Federer's 20 Major titles.
Now 34, Nadal pushed through grueling conditions to rewrite tennis history 15 years after his first Paris victory. During the first four rounds, he brushed aside Egor Gerasimov, Mackenzie McDonald, Stefano Travaglia, and Sebastian Korda, losing only one break of serve and conceding just 23 games across 12 sets.
Rafa in the opening four rounds toppled Egor Gerasimov, Mackenzie McDonald, Stefano Travaglia and Sebastian Korda, suffering one break and dropping 23 games in 12 sets to advance in the tournament.
In the semifinals at Roland Garros, Nadal faced Diego Schwartzman. Although Schwartzman had previously beaten him in Rome, he couldn't find the same success in Paris. Nadal took a commanding lead with two 6-3 sets. Schwartzman fought back in the third to force a tie-break, but Nadal closed it out 7-0 to reach his 13th final without dropping a set.
The only thing standing between Nadal and the trophy was world number one Novak Djokovic, who was chasing his second French title. However, Djokovic couldn't break Nadal's momentum. With a decisive 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 victory, Rafa secured his fourth Major title without losing a set. By matching Federer's record and surpassing Bjorn Borg, Nadal reaffirmed his status as the undisputed King of Clay.