Rafa Nadal overcame a spirited onslaught by Dominic Thiem at Roland Garros to win his 12th French Open crown on Sunday.
For much of this final, rarely has any opponent played so well against Nadal on this Philippe Chatrier centre court, news agency Reuters reported from Paris.
The first set had been one for the ages, the second ran it close, but after three hours and one minute all that mattered was that Nadal won 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 to clinch his 18th Grand Slam triumph in total.
The 33-year-old Nadal, who is the first player to win the same Grand Slam title 12 times, going past Margaret Court’s 11 Australian Opens, now sits just two major titles behind his great foe and men’s Grand Slam title record holder, 37-year-old Roger Federer.
“It’s incredible. I can’t explain the feeling,” Nadal said after his epic win. “For me it was a dream to play here in 2005, and I could not imagine I would be back here in 2019. It’s a very special moment for me.”
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