“You can’t fight against the age,” he said, “and you can’t fight against the watch. The watch keeps going, always.”
Still, it is rather remarkable how Nadal, a French Open champion yet again a week past his 32nd birthday, and Federer, who turns 37 in less than two months, seem to stay forever young. Nadal’s 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 victory over Dominic Thiem, who’s 24, in Sunday’s final gave the Spaniard an 11th title — yes, 11th — at Roland Garros and 17th Grand Slam trophy overall.
And so on. Federer or Nadal has won each of the past six major tournaments, equaling their second-longest stretch of dual dominance.