Nadal powers to 11th title in Monte Carlo
Asked to describe his emotions after claiming his 11th Monte Carlo title, Rafael Nadal grinned and replied that the montage of his previous victories played during the presentation ceremony had made him feel old. But it is his rivals who really deserve our sympathy.
Thirteen years after defeating Guillermo Coria to lift his first title here, Nadal is more dominant on this surface than ever. He was hardly stretched by Kei Nishikori in yesterday’s final, landing a 6-3, 6-2 victory in 1hr 33min. The Spaniard has now won his last 36 sets on clay, dating back to Rome last year. Not one of them was closer than 6-4. “This means a lot,” said Nadal, “especially because it is the first tournament in the year that I finished.”
That surprising statistic includes his retirement from the Australian Open with a hip problem, and his decision to skip Acapulco, Indian Wells and Miami. In November, he also abandoned his appearances in Paris and London midway through. Physically, hard courts remain an issue for Nadal’s cranky knees – and the same is true of grass. Once his soles touch the red clay, though, everything seems to slot into place. He has moved superbly in Monte Carlo, overwhelming his opponents – most notably world No 7 Dominic Thiem in a one-sided quarter-final – with his physicality.
“Of course, the best match of the week was against Dominic,” said Nadal. “But I improved from yesterday [when he struggled slightly for consistency but was still too strong for world No5 Grigor Dimitrov].”
Nishikori’s runner-up spot offered encouragement to a man who was appearing in only his fourth Tour-level event since August. But Nishikori says he is still recovering from the wrist-tendon injury he suffered last summer. “I have to take care every week,” he said.