Rafael Nadal secured his 10th French Open title and looked back to his best – could he even hunt down Federer’s 18 grand slam titles?
He made the relentless pursuit of La Decima look routine in the end, but it should not be forgotten how hard Rafael Nadal has fought to restore his dominance in Paris. It felt like the end of an era when Novak Djokovic toppled the king of clay in an embarrassingly one-sided quarter‑final in 2015. But spending some time away from the tour after being struck down by a wrist injury at the end of last year rejuvenated his mind and body. Backing up that crushing forehand with a devastatingly improved backhand, Nadal played some of his finest tennis at Roland Garros to destroy Stan Wawrinka, which is saying something, and the scary thought for youngsters like Dominic Thiem and Alex Zverev must be that the Spaniard’s 10th French Open title is unlikely to be his last.
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Related: Rafael Nadal defeats Stan Wawrinka in straight sets to win French Open
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