Paris: Rafael Nadal faces Novak Djokovic in the French Open final on Sunday where he will be aiming for a ninth title at Roland Garros.
Here is how the Spaniard achieved eight titles so far:
2013- beat David Ferrer (ESP) 6-3, 6-2, 6-3
Nadal overcomes a worrying security breach to become the first man to capture the same Grand Slam title eight times. It was his 12th major with his 13th and most recent to come three months later in New York. His push to victory suffers a heart-stopping moment when a protestor, naked from the waist up, leaps from the stands on Court Philippe Chatrier, carrying a flare and protesting France's controversial same sex marriage law.
2012- beat Novak Djokovic (SRB) 6-4, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5
In a fractious final pushed into a third week for only the second time because of rain on Sunday, Nadal takes victory when Djokovic double faults and he breaks the tie for six French Opens he shares with Bjorn Borg. It is his 11th Grand Slam title while for Djokovic, the Wimbledon, US Open and Australian Open champion, it is the end of his dream of emulating Don Budge (1938) and Rod Laver (1962 and 1969) by holding all the Grand Slams at once.
2011- beat Roger Federer (SUI) 7-5, 7-6 (7/3), 5-7, 6-1
Nadal wins a 10th Grand Slam crown and equals Bjorn Borg's record of six French Open titles. It's the Spaniard's 17th win over Federer in 25 meetings and fourth in a Roland Garros final. But unlike the pair's 2008 clash, when Federer managed to win just four games in the most one-sided final in 30 years, Nadal is made to work harder for his sixth Paris title. Federer is eventually undone by 56 unforced errors.
2010- beat Robin Soderling (SWE) 6-4, 6-2, 6-4
Nadal overpowers the man who 12 months earlier inflicted his lone defeat at Roland Garros. The win puts him second on the all-time list of French Open winners, one behind Bjorn Borg whose last title came in 1981. It is also the second time he has won the French Open title without dropping a set, having first achieved that feat in 2008.
2008- beat Roger Federer (SUI) 6-1, 6-3, 6-0
Nadal and Federer meet again but the Swiss star is handed a sobering defeat with the final set passing in a blur in just 27 minutes. It's the first time Federer suffers a 'bagel' since a 1999 Roland-Garros first round loss to Australia's Pat Rafter. Federer hits 35 unforced errors to Nadal's seven as the Spaniard claims a fourth consecutive French Open crown and equals Bjorn Borg's record of four straight Roland-Garros titles, and extends his win-loss record at the tournament to 28-0.
2007- beat Roger Federer (SUI) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
It was Federer's second consecutive chance to become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all four Grand Slam titles at once, having won the Wimbledon, U.S. Open and Australian Open, in 2006-2007. But Nadal becomes first man since Bjorn Borg to win three Roland Garros titles in a row.
2006 - beat Roger Federer (SUI) 1-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4)
20-year-old Nadal becomes the first man to beat Federer in a Grand Slam final. Victory takes Nadal's winning run on clay to 60 consecutive matches. The odds were always stacked against Federer as he went into the final with a 1-5 record against the Spaniard.
2005- beat Mariano Puerto (ARG) 6-7 (6/8), 6-3 6-1 7-5
On his debut, Nadal, 19, is seeded fourth and beats top seed Federer in the semi-finals before seeing off world number 37 Puerta to claim his first French Open title. He finishes the claycourt season undefeated in 24 matches and he becomes the first man since Mats Wilander in 1982 to win the French Open on his debut.
