With yet more history on the line, Rafael Nadal delivered perhaps his finest performance during a Roland Garros final on Sunday, pushing three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka off the court with blistering forehands to win his 10th Roland Garros title 6-2, 6-3, 6-1.
“La Décima” lifts Nadal to truly historic territory. He becomes the first man or woman in the Open Era to win 10 titles at a Grand Slam. At 31 Nadal is the oldest men’s champion at Roland Garros since 34-year-old Andres Gimeno won the title in 1972, while the 15th Grand Slam title of his career puts him second in the all-time list, just three behind Roger Federer.
Nadal is one of eight men who have won all four Grand Slam titles, but it is his achievements on the red clay here that mark him out as a player unlike any other. He has won 79 of the 81 matches he has played on these courts and this was the third time that he has won the title without dropping a set.
Bjorn Borg keeps the record for dropping the fewest number of games in winning this tournament (32 in 1978), but Nadal’s total of 35 games conceded beat his previous best of 41, which he set in 2008.
There were moments over the past three years when it was fair to wonder whether Nadal, whose success at Roland Garros was among the most sure things in sports, might be done winning majors.
Chronic knee issues, a problematic wrist and the cumulative toll of more than a decade grinding it out as a top contender on the ATP Tour left him as an also-ran for a while.
Starting with the 2015 Wimbledon Championships, he went six straight Grand Slam events without advancing beyond the fourth round. In that stretch, he missed last year’s trip to the All England Club because of a wrist injury that had caused him to withdraw from the French Open before Round 3.
Last December, Nadal told Daily Telegraph he never considered retirement during the myriad setbacks but that he counted himself among those unsure another major title would arrive.
“I don’t know … I never know if I’m going to win another grand slam,” he said. “Not one time in my career … when I won the first or when I won the second … or when I win No. 9 or 10, I didn’t know and today is still the same situation.
“I don’t know if I have the chance to win No. 15, but I’m going to fight for it.”
Now, after he reached the Australian Open final and cruised through the French Open draw without dropping a single set, those concerns seem like a distant memory.
“The feeling that I have here is impossible to describe, impossible to compare to other places,” Nadal said after the match. “The adrenaline and nerves I feel on this court I can’t describe. This is the most important event in my career, without a doubt.”
Wawrinka was no match for the clay-court master Sunday. The Swiss star captured the 2015 Roland Garros title with a victory over Novak Djokovic, who had beat Nadal in the quarterfinals. Wawrinka rarely threatened the fourth-ranked player in the world in his hunt for a second championship in Paris, though.
Nadal put together a nearly flawless performance. He earned 83.3 percent of the points on his first serve and 65.2 percent on his second serve. He also won 18 of 20 points when he came to the net and finished with 27 winners compared to 12 unforced errors.
Quite simply, with the best clay-court player in history playing like that, Wawrinka never stood a chance. It’s virtually impossible to quantify Nadal’s greatness on the surface because there’s been nothing like it. His style of play blends uniquely with what it takes to win on the red clay of Roland Garros, which has created a perfect storm 10 times over the last 13 years.
A look at the numbers behind his La Decima at Roland Garros
Went through the tournament without losing more than four games in a single set.
Dropped just 35 games in his seven matches at this year’s tournament. Only Bjorn Borg, who lost 32 games at the 1978 French Open, had dropped lesser.
Has won the French Open without dropping a set for the third time. He did it in 2008 and 2010 before this tournament.
Became the first player in the Open Era to lift 10 titles at a grand slam tournament. Mats Wilander, Ivan Lendl, Gustavo Kuerten and Roger Federer combined have the same number of French Opens.
Has more Roland-Garros titles than any other man, surpassing Henri Cochet’s nine crowns in singles, doubles and mixed doubles combined. Overall, he trails Margaret Court’s all-time record of 11 titles at a single Grand Slam.
Bagged his 53rd claycourt title, four more than Argentine great Guillermo Vilas.
Has risen to World No 2, from No 4, in the rankings behind Andy Murray. Wawrinka maintains his World No 3 rank by edging Novak Djokovic who has now dropped to fourth.
Was 19 years old when he won his first title (2005 French Open) becoming the first teenager to win a Grand Slam singles title since Pete Sampras won the 1990 US Open.
Has never lost a French Open final.
Had 39 consecutive victories between 2010 and 2015 making it the longest unbeaten streak at Roland Garros. He toppled Bjorn Borg’s record in 2009 when he reached 31 wins; the Swede had held the previous record with 28 consecutive matches won between 1978 and 1981.
Has a win-loss record of 79-2 at the French Open. His only defeats came against Robin Soderling in the fourth round in 2009 and in the 2015 quarterfinal against Novak Djokovic. He has a 97.53 per cent win rate, which is the best in the Open Era. Nadal leads Bjorn Borg, who comes in second with a 96.07% win rate at Roland-Garros.
Won his 10th titles in Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Paris this year.
Has faced players from 22 countries across Europe, South America, North America, Oceania and Asia.
Has spent 168 hours and 11 minutes on court to secure his 10 trophies.
Trails only Roger Federer, who won Australian Open and opted out of the French Open, in Grand Slam title wins. With the French Open crown, Nadal went ahead of Pete Sampras. Top title winners in Open Era: Federer (18), Nadal (15), Sampras (14), Novak Djokovic (12), Roy Emerson (12), Borg and Rod Laver (11).
With inputs from Reuters
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