The king of clay might end up as the best tennis player of all time, after all.

Rafael Nadal, fresh from winning his 8th French Open title and 12th Grand Slam of his illustrious career, has once again silenced his critics regarding his ability to win another majors title after undergoing a career-threatening knee injury last year.

Of course, Nadal's route to another crown at Roland Garros was not that perfect by his lofty standard.

Rafa dropped the first set of his first round match against unheralded German netter Daniel Brands and squandered again the opener against Slovakian Martin Klizan in the next round.

Nadal also had rough moments against Italian rising star Fabio Fognini, but his subpar showing was enough to win his third-round assignment in straight sets.

But he finally picked up his game against giant-killing Japanese sensation Kei Nishikori, who boasts career victories against Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.

Nadal dominated Nishikori with big serves and sharp forehand returns to book his seat in the quarterfinals. He then followed it up with another masterful performance against Swiss contender Stanislas Wawrinka in three sets, arranging an epic showdown with world's no.1 Novak Djokovic in the semis.

Playing the man that had beaten him in 8 of their last 11 contests, Nadal dug deep into his bag of tricks to eke out a 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(3), 9-7 victory against his Serbian rival.

Nadal faced the harsh reality of elimination after going down by two games in the fifth frame, but the Mallorcan willed his way back into the match and finished off the business in the 16th game of the set.

Weary and battered after his exhausting semifinal battle, Nadal still had the energy to engage in several rallies with Ferrer. Nadal fired five aces and won 70 percent of his first serves with just 25 unforced errors.

"Very happy, very emotional, very important victory for me," Nadal told reporters after his title-clinching win, according to the Australian. "I understand the sport only one way. The sport without a goal is stupid. I am a good competitor because I love tennis."

With his victory, Nadal moved just five Grand Slam shorts of equalizing the 17 majors title of Roger Federer, who seems in the final days of his career.

On the other hand, the sky is the limit for Nadal who can win more slams in the coming years, if he just keeps himself injury free.

Nadal, still at the peak of his career at 27, has the capacity to do more remarkable things, greater than Federer ever achieved.

His determination to defy all odds and will to outclass any competition is just amazing to watch. Yes, there's still lots of hurdles along the way, but expect Nadal to keep coming and gunning for every title at stake.