Rafael Nadal successfully defended his 2013 Mutua Madrid Open title at the Caja Mágica on Sunday, May 11, 2014 to be the only player to ever win in Madrid Masters 1000 for the fourth time.

Nadal defeated Ken Nishikori (2-6,6-4,3-0). Nadal's Japanese opponent started complaining of back pain in the second set and was eventually forced to withdraw in the third. When asked about how he felt about winning the title due to a withdrawal, Nadal said: "It's just part of the tour and sometimes these things happen unfortunately. I feel sorry for him because when someone is playing as well as he has been and they are struck down by something like that it's a real hard blow. Something similar happened to me in Australia earlier this year so I know what I'm talking about, especially in terms of an important match."

Nadal is no stranger to career difficulties due to injury. He has been coming on and off injury for the past several seasons while suffering from various injuries such as tendonitis on both his knees as well as back injuries.

Nadal also has some words of wisdom for his opponent who has been climbing the rankings rapidly in recent months: "Becoming world number one is quite difficult. At the end of the day I don't want to put extra pressure on someone when they're playing well or take them down a peg when things aren't going as well for them. You have to keep your feet on the ground and keep a level head. Kei was very promising a few years ago but suffered a series of injuries, and when something like that happens it can make things very difficult. If he continues playing like this, I have no doubt he'll break into the Top 8 in the world"

Nadal is set to play the Rome Masters next week and the French Open, a tournament in which he is a clear favourite, on May 25-June 8, 2014, where he will be gunning to secure his eighth title.