Top 3 Rafael Nadal's Barcelona Open finals

The Barcelona Open is still going on and the fans have finally got the king of clay back in action with a win in his comeback match. This was great to see as Rafael Nadal has been missing for 608 days in the game already. Nadal did not only go on to win but completely dominated the young and active Flavio Cobolli in two straight sets. It was great to see the man finally back in action.

We also have to remember that Nadal has been dominating this current tournament as well. After all, it is not only a tournament played on clay, but also the home turf of the Spaniard. Nadal has won the most Barcelona titles winning 12 which also includes a 5 year winning streak as well. It is time to talk about the best final games he has featured in this tournament. These matches are what show us the real class of El Nino on one of the toughest surfaces in tennis.

So here are the top 3 Barcelona Open finals featuring the Spanish legend:

3. 2012 finals vs David Ferrer

This was Nadal defending his crown after finally winning it back last year. He was once again against one of his toughest Spanish Compatriots David Ferrer. This was the 4th final between these two Spanish superstars and it started most intensely ever. Nadal went on to win the gruelling first set in a tiebreaker. The second set was also neck and neck but in the end, it was Nadal who won his second consecutive title and his seventh overall keeping his dominance over Ferrer.

2. 2005 finals vs Juan Carlos Ferrero

This was the day when the King of Clay just came into the big leagues and was more or less just an upcoming prodigy. He was also up against former world number 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero who was the favourite to win the tournament. Nadal had already surprised the Spanish legend in the first set, absolutely dominating him, winning 6 games to 1. The second set was an intense tiebreaker between the two which eventually went in favour of Nadal. Nadal just needed to win one more set to do the unthinkable and that is exactly what he did as he won the set convincingly and started his dominance in Barcelona with his first title victory.

1. 2021 finals vs Stefanos Tsitsipas

This was perhaps one of the most intense Barcelona Open finals Nadal has ever featured in. This was also up against a worthy competitor in Stefanos Tsitsipas. It all seemed to go the Spaniard's way as he went on to win the first set convincingly with a score of 6-4. We all then witnessed one of the most gruelling second sets featuring Nadal which he also lost on this occasion. It was Tsitsipas who emerged victorious on this occasion as he went on to win the tiebreaker and had the chance to upset the King of Clay. The last and final set was nail-biting but in the end, it was Nadal that broke the service and won his 12th Barcelona Open title.