FRENCH OPEN Nadal’s the perfect ten
NOT SO much the ‘Decima’ as an utter decimation, Rafa Nadal was at his destructive best to win his 10th Roland Garros title yesterday.
The early exit for Novak Djokovic also means Nadal knocks the Serb out of the top two for the first time in six years – and next in line is Andy Murray’s world No1 spot.
The manner in which Stan Wawrinka bullied Murray off court in the semi-final suggested this could be a close final.
Nadal, however, is simply another level beyond everybody, even the world No1, when it comes to clay.
In the end, his 6-2, 6-3, 6-1 victory took just 2hrs 5mins – a whole grand slam won in barely 12 hours and at a cost of just 35 games.
Only Bjorn Borg has won a grand slam having conceded fewer games than that – the 1978 French Open in 32. Nadal nibbled playfully as ever at the handle of the Coupe de Mousquetaires.
The two of them are long-term lovers, having spent only three years apart from each other since the Spaniard first got his hands on the trophy in 2005.
“For me this event is the most important one of the year and I have more pressure on me, but it is not just about the four grand slams,” Nadal said.
“I enjoy playing tennis every week. The things that have happened here at this tournament have been magical, but I have worked a lot to be here today.
“I have been playing well since the start of this season and it has been very special. I am happy, I am AT ROLAND GARROS enjoying every week and I want that to continue.
“If you are winning this kind of title, you are capable of being any number in the ranking. If I continue playing well, why not No1?”
For half an hour yesterday Wawrinka had been able to make a game of it over five keenly-contested games that hinted that we were in for an epic.
But by the end of the second set he was breaking his old racket on the unforgiving clay, then taking a new one out of his bag and using it to smash himself over the head all over again. Not surprisingly, it did nothing to help.
“I was trying to find a solution,” Wawrinka said. “I was trying to play better. I was trying to play the game I wanted to play. I was trying to do something different.
“But today there is not much to say about the match. I played against the biggest clay-court player ever. He won his 10th French Open today, so that’s something huge.
“For sure he’s playing the best he’s ever played. Since the beginning of the year you can see he’s playing more aggressively, staying closer to the line.
“But that’s clearly the best he has ever played. That’s why he’s winning so much again. Rafa is really fit. He’s aggressive. He’s good. His level of play is unbelievable.”