Madrid Open is one of the biggest clay court title that precedes the Rolland Garros and a lot of anticipation is pegged on the XV edition finals scheduled on 14 May. We have our King of Clay, Nadal contending for his record 5th win here. Also the defending champion, Djokovic hoping to prove the he hasn’t run out of gas. In women, we have our eyes on the wild card Maria Sharapova who amidst all controversies still seek to make her big comeback. So here are Five of the best Madrid Open finals in history .
2005: Rafael Nadal defeated Ivan Ljubicic, 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (3).
The 2005 Madrid Masters was played on the hard court rather than the present clay court. Rafael Nadal, the then World No. 2 had to face he 11th seeded Ivan Ljubicic in a ghastly 5 set match. Nadal was standing undefeated that year. It was the 11th title of the 18 year old Spaniard.
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Nadal can a comfortable reach to the finals without losing a single set. But he did have a great start at the finals. With two sets down, he was struggling with his form and trying to understand his opponent’s moves. The King wasn’t going to give up. He wasn’t going to disappoint his fans. And he didn’t. It went on to a nail biting 5th set tie breaker when he picked his first Madrid title.
