Congratulations Rafa Nadal for winning the French Open for a mind-blowing 11th time! He just keeps on adding on to the records he holds and it is just incredible to witness. Rafa just refuses to relinquish his throne as the King of Clay.
Let's break down just how phenomenal Nadal's win is:
Given the way that he is playing now, barring any injury, I think he still has a good chance to add more Roland Garros singles titles in the future. Many people thought would not be able to stay at the top of the game for too long given how physically exhausting his playing style is but he has continued to defy the odds and show the world the importance of passion and hard work.
*****
I am also happy that Simona Halep finally shakes off the "best player never to have won" a Grand Slam title by coming from behind to beat Sloane Stephens in three sets in the final. She lost three Grand Slam finals - 2 of them at the French Open in 2014 and in 2017 and one at the Australian Open earlier this year - so I was rooting for her to win. By beating Garbine Muguruza in the semifinals, she also ensured that she would remain #1.
That said, my second favorite moment in Roland Garros (Rafa's win was obviously my favorite) was seeing Nicolas Mahut's son run on court and jump into Nicolas' arms to celebrate the doubles title that Mahut won with his partner Pierre-Hugues Herbert. It is just such a beautiful moment:
Congratulations to all the French Open winners!
It never gets old, does it @RafaelNadal?— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 10, 2018
The King of Clay captures his 11th Roland-Garros title 6-4 6-3 6-2.
Rien n'arrête Rafa ! 11e titre pour l'Espagnol ici à Roland-Garros et son 57e titre sur terre-battue.
👉 https://t.co/xP28FRO671 pic.twitter.com/UzI4tcyikb
Let's break down just how phenomenal Nadal's win is:
- Rafa is now in a tie with Margaret Court for the most titles won in a single Grand Slam tournament (Court won the Australian Open 11 times).
- Rafa now has 17 major titles. A decade or so ago, it seemed unlikely if not impossible for a male player to get close to the singles Grand Slam count of tennis legends Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. Now, Federer has passed them and Rafa is just one shy of tying them. Amazing.
- His record at the French Open is 86 wins and 2 losses. That is just unreal.
- By defending his title, he retains the ATP #1 ranking.
- He has now won three tournaments eleven times. No other male player has won an event 11 times and now Rafa has achieved this three times.
Given the way that he is playing now, barring any injury, I think he still has a good chance to add more Roland Garros singles titles in the future. Many people thought would not be able to stay at the top of the game for too long given how physically exhausting his playing style is but he has continued to defy the odds and show the world the importance of passion and hard work.
*****
I am also happy that Simona Halep finally shakes off the "best player never to have won" a Grand Slam title by coming from behind to beat Sloane Stephens in three sets in the final. She lost three Grand Slam finals - 2 of them at the French Open in 2014 and in 2017 and one at the Australian Open earlier this year - so I was rooting for her to win. By beating Garbine Muguruza in the semifinals, she also ensured that she would remain #1.
Words can’t describe how happy the last 24 hours have been for me. I’ve read so many messages & social media posts that’ve brought tears to my eyes that I can’t thank you enough. Sorry for a few bumps along the way 🤷♀️🙄 but we finally got there!☺️💪 Lots of love, Simo ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Rzvs6fzN1Y— Simona Halep (@Simona_Halep) June 10, 2018
That said, my second favorite moment in Roland Garros (Rafa's win was obviously my favorite) was seeing Nicolas Mahut's son run on court and jump into Nicolas' arms to celebrate the doubles title that Mahut won with his partner Pierre-Hugues Herbert. It is just such a beautiful moment:
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 9, 2018
Congratulations to all the French Open winners!
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