PARIS — It was clay-court tennis as usual at Roland Garros on Sunday, as Rafael Nadal won his 11th French Open singles title.
No other man has come close to double digits in Paris championships, and Nadal won this year by defeating the only person who has beaten him on clay since 2016: Dominic Thiem, a 24-year-old Austrian with extravagant groundstrokes and power in abundance.
Nadal’s 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 victory at age 32 was a tribute to his enduring excellence and drive, and to his continuing ability to bounce back.
He struggled with injuries at the end of his otherwise triumphant 2017 season and again early this season, hobbling during his Australian Open quarterfinal against Marin Cilic before retiring in the fifth set with a strained muscle in his upper right leg.