Rafael Nadal wins his 10th French Open

PanARMENIAN.Net - Growing up as a prodigy on the Spanish island of Majorca, Rafael Nadal dreamed of winning just one French Open title. Now he has 10, The New York Times says.

Nadal has always been a modest superstar, avoiding public displays of entitlement with the same assiduity that he employs arranging the beverage bottles on the court in front of his chair. But there could be no avoiding the encomiums or the obvious on Sunday, June 11 as Nadal, after a nervous start, crushed the suspense out of another French Open final against a strong opponent, routing Stan Wawrinka, 6-2, 6-3, 6-1, in 2 hours 5 minutes.

“Rafa, this is one of the most beautiful exploits in the history of sport,” Fabrice Santoro, the former French star turned French Open interviewer, said as he approached Nadal on the court just after his quest for a 10th title — La Décima, in his native Spanish — became a reality.

It is no doubt a sporting achievement for the ages: No other men’s tennis player has won more than seven singles titles at the same Grand Slam event. And it is also surely time for a new favorite number for Nadal.

Once a very promising soccer player, Nadal has long favored the No. 9, traditionally worn by strikers. But the No. 10 is what has kept bringing him joy and fulfillment this spring. He won a record 10th singles title on the clay in Monte Carlo and again in Barcelona.

That he managed it in Paris, too, came as a surprise to no one, certainly not the tournament organizers. After Nadal’s victory, they unfurled a No. 10 banner in the stands high above Court Philippe Chatrier and had a No. 10 painted on the podium. Also at the ready was a highlight video that showed all 10 of his championship points dating to 2005.

“In 2005, I thought in 2017 I’d be fishing on my boat in Majorca,” Nadal said. “Back then, of course, I couldn’t think even for a second that this would ever happen to me.”

Nadal added: “I try my best in all events — that’s the real thing. But the feeling I have here is impossible to describe and difficult to compare to another place. For me, the nerves, the adrenaline that I feel when I play in this court is impossible to compare to another feeling. Just for me, it’s the most important event in my career, without a doubt.”

This was arguably Nadal’s most dominant performance at Roland Garros. It was the third time he won the event without dropping a set, but he lost only 35 games this time — the second fewest by an Open-era men’s champion at a Grand Slam event in which all the matches were best-of-five sets.