Rafael Nadal won his 11th French Open title at this year’s Roland Garros tournament by beating Dominic Thiem in straight sets.
The 32-year-old world No. 1 won 6-4 6-3 6-2 to earn his 17th Grand Slam, three adrift of Roger Federer’s all-time men’s record.
Rafael Nadal edged an intense opening set, tightening his grip in the second.
Despite having cramp in the third the Spaniard increased the tempo further, beating the Austrian in his first major final when the 24-year-old returned long.
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After the match, Rafael Nadal said: “It’s a dream to win 11 times.
“It was important to play the way I did. It was a tough moment when I got cramp. He is a player who pushes you to the limit.”
The victory means the past six Grand Slam titles have been won by either Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer with the next generation of players finding it hard to break the veterans’ stranglehold on the game.
Rafael Nadal is the only second player in history to win the same Grand Slam on 11 occasions after Margaret Court, who won 11 Australian Open titles between 1960 and 1973.
