Nadal Ties Djokovic In 'Big Titles' Race

Rafael Nadal has always been an appreciative champion, and he's especially that way now as, despite being deep into his career, the Spaniard continues to win "Big Titles" – a combination of Grand Slam, Masters 1000 and Nitto ATP Finals crowns.

In what seems like an annual tradition now, the Spaniard added another Big Title at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in Monte-Carlo on Sunday, beating Japan's Kei Nishikori 6-3, 6-2 for his 11^th Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters crown.

Watch Highlights: Nadal Wins 11th Monte-Carlo Title

The victory gave the Spaniard his 31^st Masters 1000 crown, putting him atop the all-time Masters 1000 leaderboard. Nadal also celebrated his 47^th Big Title, which draws him even with Novak Djokovic for second place, still six behind Roger Federer, who has 53 Big Titles.

“My true feeling is these kind of things [are] not going to happen forever, so just try to enjoy and to play with the full passion and with the full energy and concentration, full love for the sport,” Nadal said.

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“I know the day to say goodbye is closer than 10 years ago. Is something that I am not worried about, but is a real thing. So just enjoying every day and trying to play with the best attitude possible, to keep being happy playing tennis.”

The 31-year-old Nadal also improved his Big Title conversion rate. He and Djokovic are tied for the best rate, winning one Big Title every 3.5 opportunities. Federer has won an average of one Big Title every 4.1 chances.

Current and Former Champions' Big Titles Won (Records Since 1990) 

Player	Grand Slams	Nitto ATP Finals	1000s	Total (Avg)
Roger Federer	20/72	6/15	27/129	53/216 (4.1)
Novak Djokovic	12/52	5/10	30/101	47/163 (3.5)
Rafael Nadal	16/51	0/8	31/108	47/165 (3.5)
Pete Sampras	14/52	5/11	11/83	30/146 (4.9)
Andre Agassi	8/61	1/13	17/90	26/164 (6.3)
Andy Murray	3/46	1/8	14/96	18/148 (8.2)
Boris Becker*	2/26	2/6	5/51	9/83 (9.2)
Thomas Muster	1/29	0/4	8/53	9/86 (9.6)
Gustavo Kuerten	3/33	1/3	5/67	9/103 (11.4)
Jim Courier	4/38	0/4	5/71	9/113 (12.6)
Stefan Edberg**	3/28	0/4	1/24	4/56 (14)
Marcelo Rios	0/26	0/1	5/56	5/83 (16.6)
Michael Chang	1/50	0/6	7/86	8/142 (17.8)
Marat Safin	2/41	0/3	5/87	7/131 (18.7)
Andy Roddick	1/46	0/6	5/75	6/127 (21.2)

 * Becker's four other Grand Slam titles came before 1990.
** Edberg's three other Grand Slam titles came before 1990.  

Read More: Nadal, Djokovic Drawn In Same Barcelona Quarter

Nadal, who has won a career-best 36 consecutive sets on clay, can't pull even with Federer's Big Title haul during the clay-court season. But, with three more Big Titles on clay – Mutua Madrid Open, Internazionali BNL d'Italia and Roland Garros – the World No. 1 can pull ahead of Djokovic as early as 13 May, the day of the Madrid final. Of course, Djokovic could do the same, setting up more must-see tennis on the European red dirt.

“Next week is another week that I have a tough draw in Barcelona,” Nadal said. “Is not the moment to stop and to disconnect your mind. Is the moment to stay focused and to keep holding that momentum, that is a good one after winning seven matches in a row on clay now, this year. That's a positive thing. The way that I won the matches is very positive. So is the moment to keep going, and that's my goal.”