When Rafael Nadal beat the Argentinian Mariano Puerta in four sets to win his first major title at the French Open back in 2005, no one had...
When Rafael Nadal beat the Argentinian Mariano Puerta in four sets to win his first major title at the French Open back in 2005, no one had any idea that it was the start of one of the most remarkable winning sequences in any sport.
Since then, Nadal has won 100 matches at Roland Garros and lost just two. His straight-sets domination of Novak Djokovic on Sunday gave the Spaniard an extraordinary 13th French Open title.
Aged 34 and a long-term sufferer of knee tendinitis and a number of other ailments from foot to wrist to shoulder, Nadal might be forgiven for packing it all in and taking life easy in his native Majorca.
The bad news for his challengers, however, is that Nadal has no intention of walking away just yet, especially as Sunday’s triumph brought him level with Roger Federer’s record of 20 Grand Slam titles.
French Open No 13, Major No 20: Why Rafael Nadal’s 100th win at Roland Garros is his greatest
“Winning is what you play for,” Nadal told AFP in a telephone interview on Monday.
“In high-level competition, what counts is victory. That is a reality. And beyond the victory, there is an even greater personal satisfaction because at certain times I have had to...
