Spaniard #Rafael Nadal bagged his 10th #french open title with an impressive 6-2, 6-3, 6-1 win over #Stan Wawrinka Sunday. With the win, Nadal became the first man or woman in the Open Era to win 10 titles at a Grand Slam. He also bagged his 15th major title, just three behind the record of Roger Federer. Now-retired Pete Sampras has 14,while Novak Djokovic has 12.
The 31-year-old Nadal did not drop a set at the French Open for the third time in his career as he won the title, just like what he accomplished in 2008 and 2010. Nadal won the French Open from 2005 to 2008 and 2010 to 2014.
Nadal, who won his 53rd clay court title, called his win “magical,” saying he’s very happy with everything. “Today was a very important day for me. There have been some tough moments... injuries, so it's great to have big success like this again,” Nadal said, per ATP World Tour.
Nadal will move to No. 2 in ATP Rankings
The victory will propel Nadal to No. 2 in the ATP Rankings for the first time since October 2014. He is now in position to finish the season as the year-end No. 1 in the ATP Rankings for the first time since 2013. The French Open win was a major tournament for the Spaniard in the last 12 months. Last year, Nadal retired from his third-round match against Marcel Granollers due to a left wrist injury.
Before winning the French Open, Nadal also bagged titles at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 in Madrid, the Barcelona Open and at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 in Monte Carlo.
Wawrinka to climb to No. 3 despite loss
Before facing Nadal, Wawrinka ousted world No. 1 Andy Murray in the semifinal but he had no answer for the Spaniard.
Nadal kept Wawrinka behind the baseline and did not allow him to gain any momentum throughout the match. Wawrinka will receive 1,200 ATP Rankings points and will climb to No. 3 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. Wawrinka began his clay season with a 2-3 record before retaining his title on home soil in Geneva.
Like Nadal, Wawrinka was impressive at the French Open, advancing to the semifinal without losing a set.
However, he played Murray in a marathon five-set match. After his loss to Nadal, Wawrinka admitted that he failed to play at the same level as Nadal, but making it to the final was a positive result for his career. Wawrinka will begin his grass-court campaign next week at the Aegon Championships in London. In preparation for the grass-court season and in an effort to win Wimbledon, he hired Paul Annacone as his coach.
