When Nadal beat a surely weary Dominic Thiem 6-3 5-7 6-1 6-1 on a court he is no stranger to, he became the first player to ever win the same grand slam 12 times. He overcame Thiem a year ago to reach No. 11 and match Margaret Court’s haul at the Australian Open.
So the term ‘King of Clay’ just doesn’t do justice to the now 18-time grand slam champion anymore.
The 33-year-old is from another tennis planet on clay.
Nadal improved to 93-2 at the French Open and has never lost a final. Or even been taken to five sets.
His recent knee injury might have written him off in the eyes of some, but beating Novak Djokovic in the Rome final last month was a considerable boost.
For the first time, Nadal pulled to within two grand slams of Roger Federer, the man he eased past in their headline semi-final Friday.
If the 37-year-old Swiss doesn’t win another major, Nadal could get to 20 just by wracking up more victories at Roland Garros.
Culled from CNN sports.