It was 22 minutes of mayhem. The match lasted two hours and five minutes, but the torturous time the ball was in play was just 21 minutes and 59 seconds. It must have felt like an eternity for Stan Wawrinka. Rafael Nadal defeated Wawrinka 6-2, 6-3, 6-1 on Sunday afternoon at Roland Garros. From 2-2 in the first set, it was basically game over. Overall, Nadal won 94 points to 57 (62%). The average point duration for the match was just eight seconds. Eight seconds of side-to-side, lactic acid domination. Eight seconds of Nadal running Wawrinka to whatever arrondissement of Paris he wanted him to go. Wawrinka is so dangerous when he gets to step into a ball, but he...
Twelve years ago, a precocious, long-haired Rafael Nadal stood on Court Philippe Chatrier with his arms wrapped around the Coupe des Mousquetaires for the first time. For more than a decade, the Spaniard re-wrote the history books with a clay-court mastery never before witnessed. On Sunday, Nadal cemented his Roland Garros legacy with an extraordinary, incomprehensible 10th victory at the clay-court Grand Slam. Few superlatives accurately reflect the magnitude of Nadal's achievement and the Spaniard himself struggled to find the right words to describe his emotions. "It's about the work you put in every day," Nadal said to the assembled media following a 6-2, 6-3, 6-1 victory over Stan Wawrinka. "It happened 10 times here already. All the things that...
1. Nadal Continues To Make History Rafael Nadal transcended tennis history with his performance at Roland Garros, achieving one of the greatest feats in sports by completing La Decima with a victory over Stan Wawrinka in the final. He picked up his 15th Grand Slam title, surpassing Pete Sampras on the all-time win list and only trailing Federer at 18. Nadal dropped just 35 games, an average of five per match, to finish off one of the most flawless performances at a Grand Slam in the Open Era. It’s unlikely that we’ll see anyone match Nadal’s level of dominance at Roland Garros. He officially joins other legends of the sport in producing jaw-dropping moments that may never be repeated, such...
Tennis fans, media and players worldwide celebrated as Rafael Nadal claimed a historic 10th Roland Garros crown with a straight-sets win over Stan Wawrinka in Sunday's final in Paris. See how they reacted on social media to the Spaniard's feat. [ALSO LIKE] 10 ...... 10 ....... 10 ..... you can say it as much as you want. It's so not normal. Huge respect for @RafaelNadal .. pleasure to watch— andyroddick (@andyroddick) June 11, 2017 Congratulations @RafaelNadal on your historic 10th @rolandgarros championship. You are an inspirational champion on and off the court.— Billie Jean King (@BillieJeanKing) June 11, 2017 Rafael Nadal!! Único 1️⃣0️⃣ pic.twitter.com/PvAdiVuh2o— David Ferrer (@DavidFerrer87) June 11, 2017 Simply to good. Congrats to Rafa and his team. Amazing...
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. Most titles at the same Grand Slam tournament (men and women) Player Grand Slam Titles Years Margaret Court Australian Open* 11 1960-66, 1969-71, 1973 Rafael Nadal Roland Garros 10 2005-08, 2010-2014, 2017 Martina Navratilova Wimbledon 9 1978-79, 1982-87, 1990 *Known as Australian Championships before 1969 He climbs to second...
