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Spaniard lifts 11th crown on the terre battue
With everything to play for, Rafael Nadal saved arguably his best performance for last. The World No. 1 exhibited yet another ruthless display of aggression to emerge with the Roland Garros title on Sunday.

Nadal defeated Dominic Thiem 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 in two hours and 42 minutes to seize the Coupe des Mousquetaires for an unprecedented 11th time. The Spaniard saves his top level for championship occasions like these, and Sunday's affair on Court Philippe Chatrier was no exception.

"Coming back and to have the chance to win in Monte-Carlo, Barcelona, Rome, and now especially here, it's very emotional for me," said Nadal. "It was a very special moment and well received, that minute or two minutes of the crowd supporting me. That feeling in that moment was difficult to describe it. Very emotional for me.

"What really matters for me is have this trophy again with me. That means a lot. As everybody knows, for me is the most important tournament of the year. But I always say the same. Tennis is not only about Grand Slams. There's much more tournaments, a lot of important tournaments that, for me, means a lot. But of course Roland Garros is always on the calendar and a special date.

"So winning here after having the clay court season that I had is, yeah, emotional and that give me calm and confidence to keep going."

It is unfathomable. Eleven titles at a single Grand Slam tournament. 'La Undécima' lifts Nadal to truly historic territory. No other man or woman has achieved the feat in the Open Era.
At the age of 32, Nadal continues to strengthen his legacy on his most dominant surface. Less than two months after lifting an 11th trophy at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters and following that up with another 'Undécima' at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, the Spaniard completed the set with his victory on Sunday at Roland Garros. Moreover, Nadal remains atop the ATP Rankings for a 177th week.

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With the victory, the Manacor native adds a 17th Grand Slam crown, which draws him to within three of Roger Federer's all-time record of 20. Furthermore, Nadal became just the fourth man in the Open Era to win three or more major titles after turning 30. It is an exclusive club that also includes Federer, Rod Laver and Ken Rosewall.

Grand Slam Title Leaders

Player Grand Slam Titles
(1) Roger Federer 20
(2) Rafael Nadal 17
(3) Pete Sampras 14
(T-4) Novak Djokovic 12
(T-4) Roy Emerson 12
For the second straight year, Nadal leaves the European clay-court season with a staggering 24-1 mark. His only blemish was a quarter-final defeat to Thiem in his home capital of Madrid. But the Austrian was unable to find the formula to upset his Spanish opponent twice in one campaign.

Thiem made it a tight encounter early in the opener, with the first set lasting 67 minutes. The Austrian broke back after Nadal seized an immediate break for 2-0, but was unable to sustain the same level of energy and pressure on the Spaniard throughout the match.

Two breaks in the second set proved critical and Nadal would roll from there, claiming the decisive break for 2-1 in the third after escaping a 0/40 deficit in the opening game. He secured his 11th Coupe des Mousquetaires trophy after two hours and 42 minutes, firing a service winner on his fifth match point.

Nadal

"Of course when you have played so many finals in a given moment, every year is totally different, but it's true that there is a given moment where there are situations you have already been through," said Nadal. "And when you have been through different times, you have normally capacity to better understand the situation and to better manage them, at least understand the moments of the match that are of high tension and do better than the first time.

"So, yes, in the second set I was a bit tired. I didn't fight so much for a few games. I was at ease with my serve, although my game suffered a lot."

Nadal won 82 per cent of points on his first serve while claiming nearly half of total return points (47 per cent). Thiem did well to strike 34 winners (to Nadal's 26), but was victimised by 42 unforced errors.

The World No. 1 extended his FedEx ATP Head2Head series lead to 7-3, with all of their meetings coming on clay. One year after relinquishing just seven games in their semi-final encounter, Nadal replicated the feat. He is now 2-1 against Thiem this year, with his other victory coming in the Monte-Carlo quarter-finals.

Most Titles At A Single Tournament (Open Era)

Player Tournament Titles
Rafael Nadal Roland Garros 11
Rafael Nadal Monte-Carlo 11
Rafael Nadal Barcelona 11
Roger Federer Halle 9
Nadal's 57th clay-court title caps a remarkable turnaround for the Spaniard. Just three months ago, he was forced to withdraw from ATP World Tour stops in Acapulco, Indian Wells and Miami due to a right hip injury. And now, he leaves the clay-court season with the loss of just five sets in 25 matches.

Moreover, Nadal claimed a tour-leading fourth title of 2018 and joins Thiem and Alexander Zverev as 30-match winners this year. Thiem, who remains on top of the match wins leaderboard with a 35-9 win-loss mark, will celebrate a strong fortnight in Paris. The 24-year-old advanced to his first Grand Slam final with impressive victories over Stefanos Tsitsipas, Matteo Berrettini, Kei Nishikori, Alexander Zverev and Marco Cecchinato.

"I think it was the first time against him here in Roland Garros where it was a fight," said Thiem. "It was a decent match from my side. He was playing very well, I think, and there is a reason why he won 11 times here. It's definitely one of the best things somebody ever achieved in sport.

"For sure I'm confident that this was not my last Grand Slam final, and that's my biggest goal, to get into the next one and then to do it better than today."

Thiem

Thiem moves up one spot in the ATP Rankings, rising to No. 7 on Monday. Contesting his 17th tour-level final, he falls to 10-7 in title matches and 2-2 this year. He previously lifted the trophy in Buenos Aires and Lyon two weeks ago. His 10-match win streak entering the final equals the longest of his career.

"Of course it was a special thing for me to play the first slam final," added Thiem. "But on the other hand, I was pretty calm and I knew that I go into it like it would be any other match. I think this was the right approach because if I let too much happen, my emotions, everything, because it's the first Grand Slam final, it wouldn't suit my game very well, and that's why I went into it like every other match."

2018 Match Wins Leaders

Player Win-Loss
(1) Dominic Thiem 35-9
(2) Alexander Zverev 34-9
(3) Rafael Nadal 30-2
(4) Juan Martin del Potro 28-7

Nadal is now 111-2 in best-of-five clay-court matches
Perhaps what is most impressive about Rafael Nadal’s dominance at Roland Garros is that it’s not surprising. The Spaniard shows up, and almost always, he wins. After defeating Dominic Thiem on Sunday, he leaves Paris with his 11th Coupe des Mousquetaires trophy.

That’s an incredible accomplishment — no other man has won more than eight titles at a single Grand Slam (Roger Federer — 8, Wimbledon). His 86-2 record in Paris is unprecedented. But at this point, adding to the win tally feels inevitable.

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And this is the scariest part for the rest of the ATP World Tour: Nadal still believes there is room for improvement.

“You can always improve something, and I think that everyone can improve. There is no limit. You never know where is the limit,” Nadal said. “If you don't have the will to improve, you don't understand the sport, because the sport is always about improving. That's the meaning of sport. It's playing with the dream of doing something better than what you're doing before… When you're not working with passion of doing something better, I think that sports will lose its sense.”

You would think that so much winning would have a numbing effect. When you do something a lot, you get used to it. But that’s not the case for Nadal, and that’s why he is continuing to push to get better.

“[It] was a very special moment and [when I] received that minute or two minutes of the crowd supporting, that feeling in that moment was difficult to describe,” Nadal said. “[It’s] very emotional for me.”

Nadal

The Spaniard is not taking any of this for granted. Not the wins. Not the trophies. Not the never-ending showers of support from his fans.

“I am enjoying the moment. For me, today is a very special day, and every day that I spend on Tour, [I’m] enjoying all the experiences that tennis gave me the possibility to live,” Nadal said. “I am just trying to keep enjoying, and I’m going to keep playing until my body resists. My happiness still high playing tennis. When that changes, [it] will be a time to do another thing.”

It is easy to forget, thanks to all of his success, that Nadal has had moments of doubt due to various injuries. This year alone, the Spaniard had to withdraw from tournaments in Acapulco, Indian Wells and Miami due to a right hip injury.

READ: How Rafa Won No. 11 In Paris

"I achieved much more than what I ever dreamed. But at the same time... it's true that I went through tough moments," Nadal said. "To arrive so-so, with some doubts with this clay-court season. Yeah, of course, you know how difficult everything is, especially after went through these tough moments. Personally for me, it's amazing."

But Nadal is not allowing that to limit him. He's simply working hard: practice by practice, point by point and match by match. And that is how he arrived on Court Philippe-Chatrier on Sunday, biting into an 11th Roland Garros trophy — something even he didn't believe was possible.

“You can't fight against the age and you can't fight against the watch. The watch keeps going, always,” Nadal said. “If you tell me seven, eight years ago that I will be here [at] 32 years old having this trophy with me again, I will tell you that it’s something almost impossible. But here we are.”

Former coach praises nephew following 17th Grand Slam victory
In what has become almost tradition, Rafael Nadal stamped his authority on Court Philippe Chatrier, this time by defeating Dominic Thiem 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 to lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires for an 11th time. In similar tradition, Rafael's uncle and former coach, Toni Nadal, was on hand to congratulate his nephew after the victory. Despite having seen his former pupil triumph in 16 Grand Slam finals before, Toni was emotional following Nadal's unprecedented win on Sunday.

"I couldn't have imagined Rafa accomplishing what he's managed to do throughout his career, especially here at Roland Garros," Toni told ATPWorldTour.com. "It's beyond incredible to me; he puts on one brutal display after another. I've seen him do this over and over again but it's still so special to me when he wins because I know he's competing with a lot of pressure and high expectations. He doesn't want to let his supporters down."

Toni also understands the amount of work his nephew has put into continuously developing his game off the court to compete at the highest level possible on it.

"I remember when he won the first time at Roland Garros, someone said to me 'Rafa's going to win a lot more of these trophies.' It seemed outrageous to think he'd win 10 more after that but I can see how he's managed to do that. He works as hard as possible; he's always trying to lift his game to new heights."

So was the final win over Thiem as easy for Nadal as the score indicated? Toni doesn't think so. "The match was very close in the first set," Toni said. "Dominic was holding his own; he was right there with Rafa until the last game of the first set. That's when things changed and Rafa started imposing his will. In tennis, things can change almost instantly. It was the same against Juan Martin (Del Potro); he was holding his own with Rafa in the first set. But after that, Rafa went on a tear."

For the fifth time in his career, Nadal was crowned the champion at Roland Garros without dropping a set in the final. It's a testament to both Nadal's consistency and his longevity.

"Rafa played well here, but it's a matter of playing that well up to and through the final that counts," Toni said. "I remember the 2008 final against Federer; Rafa played extremely well that year as well, but no one would have remembered any of that if he didn't win in the final. It's great to reach a Grand Slam final without dropping a set, so long as you manage to win that last match as well."

As for a possible 12th Roland Garros title? Toni wouldn't question if his nephew will return to Paris with the same intensity and form he demonstrated to lift his 11th crown.

"Rafa's level of play has been extremely high these past two weeks," Toni said. "Let's see if he can repeat that level of play here next year."

1) Never Doubt Rafa On Clay
It was tough to know what to expect from Rafael Nadal when he was forced to withdraw from Acapulco due to a right hip injury, subsequently missing the first two ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events of 2018 at Indian Wells and Miami. But the World No. 1 dispelled those concerns in major fashion on the red dirt.

Nadal lost just one set on the Parisian terre battue en route to his astonishing 11th Roland Garros title, beating a tough Dominic Thiem in the final. The victory capped a tremendous clay-court season for the 32-year-old, who went 26-1 on the surface, capturing 61 of 66 sets. Not bad for a player whose status was unclear just a few months ago.

"Coming back and having the chance to win in Monte-Carlo, Barcelona, Rome, and now especially here," Nadal said. "It's very emotional for me."



2) Thiem Will Be A Threat In Paris For Years To Come
It is easy to look at the score of Sunday’s championship match — a straight-sets victory for Nadal against Thiem — and forget all that the Austrian accomplished.

Thiem has now advanced to at least the semi-finals on the Parisian terre battue in three consecutive years and proven that he will contend for the title for years to come.



“I think it was the first time against him here in Roland Garros where it was a fight. It was a decent match from my side,” said Thiem, who had played Nadal twice previously on Court Philippe-Chatrier. “I'm confident that this was not my last Grand Slam final, and that's my biggest goal, to get into the next one and then to do better than today.” READ FEATURE

3) Zverev Takes Another Step
Alexander Zverev has shown that he is one of the best players on the ATP World Tour, capturing three ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles in a 12-month span (2017 Rome, 2017 Montreal, 2018 Madrid). But when the German arrived at Roland Garros, he had yet to advance past the Round of 16 at a Grand Slam in 11 attempts.

That changed when the 21-year-old won three consecutive five-setters to reach the quarter-finals, where he fell to eventual finalist Thiem. Zverev became the eighth player in the Open Era to battle through three straight five-setters at Roland Garros, with the most recent being Tommy Robredo in 2013.

“Clay-court season in general has been very positive,” Zverev said. “I lost three matches on the clay, all to great players. And I won two tournaments, made two Masters [1000] finals. So it's all very positive.”

4) Argentine & Italian Steal The Show
In a fortnight of great stories, an Argentine and Italian shone especially bright. Argentine Marco Trungelliti lost in the final round of qualifying and returned to his residence in Madrid. That was until he found out there was a lucky loser spot available, packed into a car with his brother, mother and 88-year-old grandmother to drive back to Paris. The 28-year-old made the most of the opportunity, stepping on court just hours after arriving in France to defeat Bernard Tomic.

Read: With Racquets & Grandma In Hand, Trungelliti Is Luckiest Loser Of Them All

But he wasn’t the only off-the-radar player to impress. Italian Marco Cecchinato, who was 5-29 in tour-level matches before claiming his maiden ATP World Tour title in April at Budapest, became the first player from his country to reach a Grand Slam semi-final since 1978.

Not bad for a player who had never won a major main draw match before Roland Garros. Cecchinato will now soar to a career-best No.27 in the ATP Rankings after a run that he aptly described after shocking 2016 champion Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals.

“It’s a dream for me.”

5) Home, Sweet Home For Herbert/Mahut
There are feel-good stories, and then there is what happened in the doubles final. Five years ago, Nicolas Mahut and Michael Llodra led Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan 4/2 in a final-set tie-break with the Roland Garros trophy on the line, but lost the final five points of the match. It was a heartbreaking moment for the Frenchmen.

But Saturday, Mahut got another chance with longtime partner Pierre-Hugues Herbert. And this time, they were victorious. The pair was the third all-French team in the Open Era to triumph at Roland Garros.

"Thanks to Pierre-Hugues, we are here five years after. I'm smiling, and I can tell you there is a real difference between losing in the finals and winning a final," Mahut said. "It's almost indescribable. It's just utter happiness."

And if that wasn't enough, Mahut's son, Natanel, sprinted across the clay to celebrate with his father in a moment nobody involved will soon forget.

Finish to A.

Rafael Nadal pounded 126 forehand groundstroke winners from around the baseline over the past two weeks in Paris to win an unprecedented 11th Roland Garros title on Sunday. No piece of real estate mattered more to him than Position A.

Nadal defeated Dominic Thiem 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 in Sunday’s final, hitting 14 forehand winners from the back of the court, with nine (64 per cent) of them powering through his favourite forehand finishing location of A.

Tennis is a very much a C to C sport when rallying. Typically, two right-handed players trade blows through the Ad court at each other’s backhands, but don’t rally wide to D because there is too much risk with the singles sideline in play.

For Nadal, C is the perfect place to set up the point. Position A is where he drops the hammer.


A study of Nadal’s forehand winners from seven matches at Roland Garros this year reveals the key patterns of play that formed the foundation of the Spaniard’s run to the title – and undoubtedly heavily contributed to his preceding 10 titles in Paris.

Nadal’s forehand has never been studied in such detail, with the following four elements revealing the inner workings of the biggest baseline weapon in the modern game.

1. Winners Go To A
Being left-handed, we naturally fixate on Nadal dominating through the Ad court to C and D against right-handed opponent’s backhands. That’s just where he sets the point up. Those are the body blows.

Nadal played five right-handed and two left-handed opponents at Roland Garros the past two weeks, and his game plan remained basically the same against them all: run around his own backhand in the Deuce court and finish out wide to A.

Location of Nadal's Forehand Winners
Position A = 66% (83)

Position B = 2% (2)

Position C = 1% (1)

Position D = 32% (40)

2. Forehand Winners Are Struck From B & D
Nadal loves to run around his backhand and hit forehand winners standing in B, as well as go big from out wide in the Ad court from D.

Nadal Forehand Winners – Position Hit From
Position A = 20% (25)

Position B = 33% (41)

Position C = 14% (18)

Position D = 33% (42)

When Nadal was standing in B hitting a forehand winner, 68 per cent (27/40) were run-around forehand winners hit inside-out to Position A. This was a huge part of his run to his 11th Paris title. Just 32 per cent (13/40) were hit inside-in from B down the line to D. The modern forehand is all about inside-out.

When Nadal was standing in D, he hit a remarkable 80 per cent (33/41) of his forehand winners right down the line to Position A. Opponents typically want to cover the crosscourt, sitting on Nadal’s heavy, lefty forehand to their backhand. That’s exactly the finishing trap that the Spaniard looks to exploit.

3. Forehand Winners Happen More When Serving
We have never really made the connection between hitting forehands and hitting serves, but the two lived in perfect harmony for Nadal at Roland Garros. Right at two out of three of his forehand winners came when he was serving.

Forehand Winners
When Serving = 65% (82)

When Receiving = 35% (44)

4. The Run-Around Forehand Dominates
With Nadal being left-handed, the natural place for him to make contact with forehands is standing in the Ad court. Not so for forehand winners. Nadal’s run-around forehands standing in the Deuce court produced more winners at Roland Garros than his forehands from the Ad court.

Winners: Location Contact Hit From
Deuce Court = 52% (66) - Run Around forehands.

Ad Court = 48% (60) - Normal forehands.

Overall, Nadal hit 126 groundstroke forehand winners and committed 166 errors. That means if the last shot of the rally was a forehand groundstroke, 43 per cent of the of the time it was a winner, and 57 per cent of the time it was an error.

On the surface that does not seem impressive, but take into account that errors made up 66 per cent of total points at Roland Garros this year, and those 43 per cent of errors are viewed in an upgraded light.

Forehands to A took another major title in Paris on Sunday.

Wygrywając Roland Garros 2018, Rafael Nadal zdobył 17. wielkoszlemowy tytuł. Więcej mistrzostw w Wielkim Szlemie, 20, ma jedynie Roger Federer. Hiszpan jednak stwierdził, że pobicie rekordu Szwajcara nie jest jego głównym celem.

17. wielkoszlemowy tytuł Rafaela Nadala. Hiszpan goni Rogera Federera
W niedzielę Rafael Nadal po raz 17. w karierze cieszył się z wielkoszlemowego tytułu. W finale Roland Garros 2018 pokonał 6:4, 6:3, 6:2 Dominika Thiema. - Zdobycie tego trofeum wiele dla mnie znaczy. Wszyscy wiedzą, że Roland Garros to dla mnie najważniejszy turniej w roku - mówił Hiszpan, dla którego 11. zwycięstwo w Paryżu.

Po triumfie Nadala w Rolandzie Garrosie na nowo rozgorzała dyskusja, czy Hiszpan zostanie rekordzistą w liczbie wielkoszlemowych triumfów. Aktualnie w klasyfikacji wszech czasów zajmuje drugie miejsce. Wyprzedza go jedynie Roger Federer, który 20-krotnie wygrywał imprezy Wielkiego Szlema.

- Pozwólcie mi nacieszyć się tym tytułem. Nie mogę wciąż myśleć o czymś więcej - odparł Nadal na konferencji prasowej po finale, gdy został zapytany o rekord Federera.

- Nie możesz czuć frustracji, jeśli ktoś ma więcej pieniędzy niż ty, jeśli ma większy dom niż ty czy jeśli ma więcej tytułów wielkoszlemowych niż ty. Nie możesz żyć tym uczuciem. Musisz iść własną drogą - wyjaśniał.

- To oczywiste, że mam ambicję i pasję do tego, co robię - kontynuował. - Jestem bardzo zadowolony z powodu tych wszystkich dobrych rzeczy, jakie mnie spotkały. Oczywiście, że w przyszłości chciałbym mieć 20 tytułów wielkoszlemowych, jak Roger, albo więcej, ale, jeśli mam być szczery, nie zaprząta to mojej głowy.

- Zdobyłem bardzo ważny tytuł. Dodałem do swojego dorobku kolejny Wielki Szlem. Już mam ich 17, a to niesamowita liczba. Ale to nie oznacza, że nie będę już walczył o kolejne szanse w przyszłości - dodał.

Rafael Nadal nie jest pewny, czy zaprezentuje się w tym roku na europejskich kortach trawiastych. Hiszpan musi skonsultować tę decyzję z członkami swojego sztabu.

Rafael Nadal 11. raz mistrzem Rolanda Garrosa. "To coś, o czym nawet nie marzyłem"
- Mam za sobą bardzo ciężki i trudny pod względem mentalnym sezon na kortach ziemnych, ponieważ po kontuzji zagrałem w niemal wszystkich meczach. To były dla mnie dwa bardzo wymagające miesiące - powiedział Rafael Nadal, który wygrał Wimbledon w 2008 i 2010 roku.

W niedzielę Hiszpan po raz 11. triumfował na kortach Rolanda Garrosa. - Będę musiał porozmawiać z członkami mojego sztabu i zadecydować, co jest najlepsze dla mojego ciała. To zawsze jest dla mnie najważniejsza rzecz. Chciałbym występować w różnych miejscach na świecie, ale muszę też sprawdzić, jak będę się czuł przez najbliższe dni - dodał 17-krotny mistrz wielkoszlemowy.

Nadal jest zgłoszony do turnieju na trawnikach w londyńskim Queen's Clubie, który zostanie rozegrany w przyszłym tygodniu. Z kolei wielkoszlemowy Wimbledon 2018 rozpocznie się 2 lipca. - Zmiana z mączki na trawę jest bardzo drastyczna. Przechodziłem przez nią wiele razy w przeszłości, gdy byłem młodszy i szybszy. Teraz jednak muszę się upewnić, jak będę się czuł w ciągu najbliższych dni - przyznał tenisista z Majorki.

Doczekaliśmy czasów, w których jeśli media piszą o kimś za dobrze, budzi się nieufność.

Podejrzewamy natychmiast zorkiestrowaną marketingową akcję, widzimy sztab fachowców od wizerunku doradzających mistrzowi, jak się zachować, jak się ubierać, gdzie bywać i co jeść, czyli w sumie jak żyć, by go wszyscy kochali i mógł wszystko reklamować.
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W tenisie takim „idolem dla ustatkowanych" jest Roger Federer, choć u niego sztuczność specjalnie nie rzuca się w oczy, bo Szwajcar naprawdę ma klasę. Koronę króla tenisa nosi z godnością i trudno się dziwić, że już go ona nie uwiera, uznał to za stan naturalny, podobnie jak miliony fanów wielbiących go czasami ponad miarę. W Nowym Jorku podczas US Open rywal Szwajcara to po prostu wróg publiczności, w Paryżu w trakcie Roland Garros Francuz Jo-Wilfried Tsonga skarżył się, że miał trybuny przeciwko sobie, bo po drugiej stronie siatki był boski Roger.

Wszystkie te łaski spływają na Szwajcara z powodu, który jest ewidentny dla każdego, kto lubi tenis – on po prostu gra pięknie i w nagrodę dostaje zasłużony zachwyt. A jaki jest naprawdę? Trenerka z zaniedbanego klubu, w którym zaczynał grę w Bazylei, powiedziała w dokumentalnym filmie o Federerze, że od lat Rogera u nich nie było, a ogrodzenie rdzewieje.

Rafael Nadal to inny rodzaj idola. Gdy pojawił się i zaczął seryjnie wygrywać na kortach ziemnych, dominowała raczej obawa, że ten atleta z Majorki swoim liftem, przy którym nadgarstek musi być na śrubie, popchnie tenis w nienaturalną stronę. Andre Agassi ten energochłonny sposób gry opisał sławnym zdaniem: „Nadal wystawia swemu ciału rachunki, którego ono nie będzie w stanie spłacić".

Trudno o bardziej błędną prognozę – Nadal ma 32 lata, wygrał 17 turniejów wielkoszlemowych i choć kłopoty zdrowotne go nie omijały, zawsze wracał mocniejszy. W niedzielę wygrał turniej Roland Garros z przewagą nad konkurencją jeszcze większą niż w czasach pierwszych triumfów. I zapowiedział: wrócę do Paryża za rok, postaram się wygrać dwunasty raz.

Francuzi nie od razu zaakceptowali Nadala i jego koszulki bez rękawów, by jeszcze lepiej było widać bicepsy. Pisano wówczas, że ten strój to premedytacja, aby rywale bali się jeszcze bardziej. Wielki mag francuskiego tenisa Yannick Noah robił niedwuznaczne dopingowe sugestie, stacja Canal Plus wyemitowała satyryczny program, w którym żartowano z Nadala w sposób dość okrutny. Najdalej poszła była francuska minister sportu Roselyne Bachelot, mówiąc, że Nadal wcale nie miał kontuzji kolana, lecz złapano go na dopingu i dlatego tak długo nie grał. Tenisista oddał sprawę do sądu, wygrał, otrzymał przeprosiny oraz 10 tys. euro.

Hiszpanie byli oburzeni, ale w dopingowym kontekście trudno zapomnieć, że nie rozliczyli się z aferą „Puerto" i próbki z krwią dopingowiczów pozostają bezimienne (sąd nakazał nawet ich zniszczenie). Nie brakowało głosów, że gdyby pozwolił na ujawnienie nazwisk, historię sportu na Półwyspie Iberyjskim trzeba by pisać na nowo, tenisa też.

Nadal wszystkie te afronty przyjmował z godnością i doczekał się uznania. Dziś w Paryżu jego triumf nagradzany jest owacją na stojąco. Mało tego: wokół Hiszpana powstała bardzo pozytywna atmosfera, wszyscy podkreślają, że to grzeczny, dobrze wychowany chłopak, który mówi „dzień dobry" i „dziękuję", a gdy kiedyś nie pożegnał się z personelem turnieju, kazał zawrócić samochód i wszystkich przepraszał. Podobno ludzie mieli łzy w oczach.

Wujek Toni – przez wiele lat trener i wychowawca Rafaela – podkreśla, że w codziennym życiu musi on sam o siebie dbać i jeśli na trening nie weźmie wody, to nie będzie pił.

Dom w prowincjonalnym Manacor, od dzieciństwa ta sama dziewczyna, żadnych ekscesów. Szanujemy Nadala i chcemy tylko jednego: żeby to była prawda.

Rafael Nadal reflects on his stunning clay-court season that featured 11th titles in Monte-Carlo, Barcelona, and Roland Garros
By lifting the crown at Roland Garros, Rafael Nadal bid farewell to the European clay-court swing in the best way possible. And while he doesn't often delve into his accomplishments, Nadal is aware of what he's achieved by winning the clay-court Grand Slam for an 11th time. The only player in the Open Era to achieve three 11 triumphs in three different tournaments – Barcelona, Monte-Carlo and Roland Garros – discussed his achievements and more.

What have you carried with you from your first Roland Garros triumph?
I knew the importance of winning at Roland Garros back in 2005, but there was no way I could have predicted what was going on back then would have an effect on the present. What I can tell you is how my game compares to 13 years ago. My energy levels might be down a little bit, but I have so much more knowledge that I've gained over the years. I'm a little bit older and a lot wiser.

More On Rafa: Nadal Captures 11th Title In Paris | Toni Nadal: 'One Brutal Display After Another' | Rafa: 'There Is No Limit'

What are your thoughts when people say you're an absolute beast on clay, and that you're a myth, a legend, a hero after winning for the 11th time?
My answer is that I'm an ordinary guy achieving some extraordinary things. That's the reality. I don't let the superlatives get to my head because I don't have the time for that. I don't want to sound like I'm something special but yes, it's unique to win the same Grand Slam 11 times.

Everything I do is a day-to-day process. Yes, I'm confident. I've won 86 out of 88 matches I played [in Paris]. Maybe, in around 75 of those matches I stepped onto the court thinking I could win but also lose. That's one of the keys to success. So, my thoughts on all of this? I'm grateful. At the end of the day, there are people who work just as hard as me, probably even harder.

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How do you handle the pressure of showing up to Roland Garros, knowing you are favoured to win?
Just because that's what the headlines say doesn't mean it's what I believe. I stick to my own thoughts, and the thoughts of my team. I go into Roland Garros as prepared as possible and when I step on the court, my goal is to do the best that I can. These days, I also fall back on my experience.

Are you surprised that Roger Federer and you have won the last six Grand Slams?
Yes. I went two years without winning a Grand Slam title. He went more than twice that ... We are both at an advanced age in this sport and winning the last six majors is definitely amazing.

You say that there is life beyond tennis. Your fellow Big Four (Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray) are married and have children ... Do you feel you have a stronger commitment to tennis compared to them?
No. That's not the case. I just lead a different life. I adapt to things on the fly and while it's true I've committed my life to tennis, it's also something that makes me happy. I can't tell you whether I'll start a family one day. I figured I'd be retired by this age. Before, my way of thinking was like that: to have a structured, average life with a stable family. But as the years went by, my career led me down a different path.

You've had intense rivalries against Federer and Djokovic. Most recently, you've clashed at big events against Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem. Do you consider them your new rivals?
It's hard to consider them rivals because they are a lot younger and at different stages of their career than I am. It's a different type of encounter. I didn't grow up with Zverev or Thiem; we didn't mold our careers during the same time period. It just so happens we're crossing paths at different stages.

For that reason, what I have with them isn't a rivalry. The best rivalries happen organically; we can't just call them rivalries for the sake of calling them rivalries. I've had my rivalries and I still do; they've been forged over the years. I battled, suffered and lasted through them.

You're surrounded by a strong, well-built team of people. Does that bring with it an extra sense of responsibility to perform?
My only sense of responsibility is to do the best I possibly can. I have to train as hard as possible and be as positive as possible. Those are my responsibilities.

I've had the same team for a while now, with the exception of (business agent) Carlos (Costa) and that happened more than a year ago. I'm more than satisfied to be around this core team. Having (former coach and uncle) Toni (Nadal) at Roland Garros was special to me. That was a change to the team, too. Having him in Paris was important, first because he's family but also because he knows me better than anyone. The truth is, without my family, without my team or without my friends, if they had not been there during difficult times, I might have already retired.

Rafael Nadal has today informed us of his decision to withdraw from the Fever-Tree Championships, that starts on Monday.

Nadal, who completed a Roland Garros-Queen’s-Wimbledon treble 10 years ago, had intended to return to try to do the same again as part of the strongest entry list in the tournament’s history. His five Wimbledon final appearances have all come after reaching the quarterfinals or better at The Queen’s Club, but after playing 27 matches on clay over the last two months and winning an 11th Roland Garros title at the weekend, he has decided that he needs time on the sidelines to recover.

“Queen’s is a great event, I have happy memories of winning the title in 2008 and I wanted to come back this year,” said Nadal. “But it has been a very long clay court season for me with great results. I would like to say sorry to the tournament organisers and most of all to the fans that were hoping to see me play, but I have spoken to my doctors and I need to listen to what my body is telling me.”

On Monday, three-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic took a late Fever-Tree Championships wild card and will play at the The Queen’s Club for the first time in eight years.

He joins a field of players that includes five-time winner Andy Murray, who still hopes to return from hip surgery in time to play, US Open champions Juan Martin del Potro, Stan Wawrinka and Marin Cilic, the reigning ATP Finals champion Grigor Dimitrov, British No.1 Kyle Edmund, and the exciting Nick Kyrgios and Denis Shapovalov.

“We are obviously disappointed that Rafa has decided that he is unable to play this year, but we wish him well and hope to see him on our courts in the future,” said Tournament Director, Stephen Farrow. "At the same time, we are thrilled to have added Novak Djokovic to a line-up that already includes so many of the best players in the world. We remain on track for a fantastic week of tennis at the Fever-Tree Championships and we can’t wait to get started."