"I think our generation is now on the way out," Rafael Nadal said at the French Open of 2014.
"A generation is walking away, and others will replace us."
That remains to this day one of my favourite Nadal quotes. Laced with humility, even if it did not age as well as he has.
Nearly six and a half years later, and Nadal is not only a 13-time Roland Garros champion, but also a 20-time Grand Slam champion.
Sparkling in defence, and explosive in attack in Sunday's final against Novak Djokovic, Nadal produced a performance every bit the equal of his jaw dropping 6-1 6-3 6-0 win over Roger Federer in the 2008 final.