PARIS -- Trying to beat Rafael Nadal at the French Open is, without a doubt, the toughest task in tennis. Indeed, must be among the greatest challenges in all of sports. The pressure he applies, from set to set, game to game, point to point, shot to shot. That bullwhip of a high-bouncing, topspin lefty forehand. Those quick-reflex returns that help him break an opponents serve -- and his will. Doing what he does so well on the red clay of Roland Garros, a surface and site he dominates so completely, the No. 1-seeded Nadal wore down No. 2 Novak Djokovic 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-4 in a muggy final Sunday to win his ninth French Open championship and fifth in a row, both records. "For me," Nadal said, "playing here in Roland Garros is just unforgettable, forever." It is also his 14th Grand Slam title overall, tying the 28-year-old Spaniard with Pete Sampras for the second most by a man, behind only Roger Federers 17. That includes Nadals two trophies apiece at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, along with one from the Australian Open, proving he can beat the best on grass and hard courts, too. But its on the clay of Paris where Nadal reigns supreme: He has won 66 of 67 career French Open matches. Since the only loss, against Robin Soderling in the fourth round in 2009, Nadal has won 35 consecutive matches at Roland Garros. No other man has won more than seven titles at any of tennis four majors. "Its not impossible, but its very, very difficult to stay with Rafa in this court, throughout the whole match, on the highest level of performance," said Djokovic, who was broken in the final game of each set, including with an anticlimactic double-fault on match point. Nadal ensured that he, not Djokovic, will be ranked No. 1 on Monday. In the process, Nadal once again prevented six-time major champion Djokovic from completing a career Grand Slam. "He deserves to win this tournament," Nadal said. "I am sure he will do it in the future." Djokovic had won their four most recent matches, including on clay in the best-of-three-set final at Rome last month. Beating Nadal in best-of-five is a whole other matter. Nadal also topped Djokovic in the 2012 final, and the 2013 semifinals. In all, Nadal leads Djokovic 6-0 at the French Open, 9-3 at major tournaments, and 23-19 in total. No other pair of men has played each other as often. The defeat in Rome was one of three this season on clay for Nadal, raising questions about whether hed be unbeatable at Roland Garros this time. There also was the matter of his troublesome back, which flared up during a loss to Stan Wawrinka in the Australian Open final and slowed his serve at times during the French Open. For 3 1/2 hours Sunday, when the sky was crystal clear and the temperature touched 80 degrees (27 Celsius), Djokovic gave everything he had, even spitting up on court. "I played at the maximum of my power, my strength, and my capability," Djokovic said, "but Rafa was the best player." Using his backhand to great effect against Nadals forehand early, Djokovic grabbed the first set, and got to 5-all in the second. "I felt," Nadal said, "the match was more in his hands at the beginning." Knowing that overcoming a two-set hole might be too much even for him, Nadal raised his level, taking 20 of 26 points to claim that set and a 3-0 lead in the third. "Without that second set, I dont know if I have this trophy with me now," Nadal would say later. When a down-the-line forehand winner ended the second set, Nadal leaped and shook both fists, his first sign of real emotion. "The momentum went (to) his side," Djokovic said. "I started playing quite bad and didnt move as well. Struggled a little bit physically throughout that third set." That was apparent. His cheeks were flushed. He put his hand on his heaving chest. He wobbled and nearly fell over while sitting on his changeover bench. Still, after trailing 4-2 in the fourth, Djokovic made one last stand. As skilled a retriever as his formidable foe -- Djokovic won 10 of the first 15 points that lasted at least 10 strokes -- he came up with a desperation defensive lob that landed right near the baseline, drawing a netted overhead from Nadal to earn a break point. Soon, it was 4-all. But Nadal steadied himself to hold to 5-4, then broke one last time. Soon enough, he was clutching the French Open trophy, his trophy. Cam Fowler Jersey . It was a loss. But it was also a learning experience. Deron Williams and Joe Johnson had 24 points each to lift Brooklyn to a 94-87 win over the Raptors, making their first playoff appearance since 08. "I thought we played a little bit as expected as it is our first playoff game," Toronto coach Dwane Casey said. Custom Anaheim Ducks Jerseys . A Swiss Federal Tribunal ruling published Friday said that FIFAs disputes panel and the Court of Arbitration for Sport correctly imposed the sanction for Nantes enticing Guinea forward Ismael Bangoura to break his contract with Dubai club Al Nasr in January 2012. http://www.authenticduckspro.com/Scott-niedermayer-ducks-jersey/ . In the opening game of his fourth-round match at the U.S. Open, the owner of 17 major titles got passed at the net twice, sailed a backhand long, then missed two forehands to get broken. Corey Perry Jersey . Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema scored two goals each Wednesday night in a 6-1 rout of Schalke in the first leg of their second-round matchup. "We played a very, very good match," Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. "We got well into the match, scored two early goals and that opened the game and left us able to counter and to use the speed of our players. Ryan Getzlaf Jersey . The teams were scoreless for most of the first two periods before Canada scored three times in a span of less than four minutes. Sarah Potomak opened the scoring on the power play.ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Rick Porcello hasnt won any Cy Young awards like three of his teammates, but he has pitched some of the better games of the season for the Detroit Tigers. One of them came Wednesday night when Porcello pitched a three-hitter for his AL-leading third shutout, a 6-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. "Nine shutout innings. You literally cant ask for anything more," said Tiger manager Brad Ausmus. Victor Martinez hit a grand slam and drove in five runs for the Tigers, who handed the Rays their fourth loss in a row. Porcello (14-8) moved into a tie for the league lead in wins, retiring 20 straight batters after Ben Zobrists double in the first. "I felt pretty good from the get-go really," he said. "Even the hit I gave up to Zobrist was a good pitch, and I felt pretty confident that if I kept making pitches like that I was going to get guys out and pitch deep into the game." Porcello walked none and struck out four in his first win since Aug. 2. He matched Miamis Henderson Alvarez for the major league lead in shutouts and became the first Tiger with three in a season since Jeff Weaver in 2002. "I think the biggest thing, when you get a game going like that, is to get the first guy out," Porcello said. "If you can get the first guy out, especially for me, or keep the double play intact when somebody does get on base, that makes the game a lot quicker." The Rays were shut out for the 15th time, most of any American League team. They didnt get a leadoff man on base until the eighth. "From the side it looked like a wiffle ball, like playing in your back yard and the ball is just doing all kinds of weird things," said Rays manager Joe Maddon. "For the most part (Porcello got) a lot of groundball outs.dddddddddddd Thats what he is." Martinez hit his fourth career slam, connecting off Kirby Yates in the seventh inning, completing a five-run burst started by Rajai Davis two-out double. It was the 24th homer of the season for Martinez. Martinez drove in the Tigers first run with a two-out double in the first after Miguel Cabreras single. Cabrera also walked twice and scored two runs. Wil Myers, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year, went 0 for 3 as the designated hitter in his return to the Rays lineup after missing 70 games because of a broken right wrist. "Really didnt get a pitch over the plate to hit. Its just one of those games," Myers said. "I could have been coming into this game and been really hot, but the way he pitched I think the results would have been the same." Rays starter Jake Odorizzi (9-10) gave up three runs while striking out seven in 6 2/3 innings. TRAINERS ROOM Tigers: RHP Justin Verlander (sore right shoulder) could rejoin the rotation Saturday after missing one start. Rays: OF David DeJesus (broken left hand) resumed a rehab assignment with Single-A Charlotte. He had taken three days off due to soreness in the hand. UP NEXT Former Rays ace David Price (12-8) will face his old team Thursday for the first time since being dealt to Detroit on July 31. Tampa Bay will counter with RHP Alex Cobb (8-6). "Its still weird, but once the game starts, its me vs. the Tigers lineup," Cobb said. "Its going to be more weird for him, I think, facing the Rays." HIT IT HARD PGA Tour golfer John Daly threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Daly, who has a hit song called "Hit it Hard" on The Highway Sirius Channel 56, lives in Clearwater, Fla. 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