There will most likely never be another clay-court player like Rafael Nadal. But if there is any player to whom the torch would be passed, it is Dominic Thiem.
In a second straight French Open final between those two competitors, there was no proverbial passing of said clay-court torch…. Not even close. Thiem snagged a set this time after getting trounced in the 2018 championship match, but Nadal still triumphed 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 on Sunday afternoon. The Spaniard captured his 12th title at Roland Garros after three hours and one minute of play.
Nadal was a huge favorite, of course, heading into the contest. After all, he was already a 17-time major champion and competing in his 12th French Open final; this was Thiem’s second-ever slam final appearance. It also did not help the underdog that he was taking the court for a fourth consecutive day due to rain delays earlier in the week. That grueling stretch included a 6-2, 3-6, 7-5, 5-7, 7-5 semifinal upset of world No. 1 Novak Djokovic, which did not wrap up until Saturday evening.
Nonetheless, Thiem was not about to go down quietly this time around.
Eager to deliver a better performance than what resulted in a 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 beatdown at Nadal’s hands in last year’s final, the Austrian came out blazing. Although he lost the opening set after leading by an early break, Thiem displayed incredible defense time and time again and winning more than a few hard-to-believe baseline rallies.
Improved serving in the second allowed Thiem to take a set–and deservedly so, too, as he likely would have won the first against just about any other player in the field. The world No. 4 held without much trouble en route to a 6-5 lead and then broke Nadal from out of nowhere to level the match at a set apiece.
Nadal, however, made sure that the extent of Sunday’s drama would end right then and there.
“I had a little drop,” Thiem said of his start to the third set, “which is against most of the players not that bad. But he took the chance and stepped right on me…. He was coming out in the third set like a rocket. Full power…. He came out firing.”
Nadal came out with the first four games of the third, to be exact, thus completely regaining control of the match. The 33-year-old blasted 10 winners compared to just two unforced errors and did not drop a single service point in set three. He worked similar magic in the fourth, seizing a 3-0 lead and thoroughly squashing any hopes his opponent had of a comeback. Thiem at least earned break points in two different games but he could not capitalize.
After missing his first championship point, Nadal converted his second chance at 5-1, 40-30 when Thiem sent a return just past the baseline.
With that, the King of Clay is now the Roland Garros champion–in the famous words of the tournament MC when he is introduced for each match–in “deux mille quatre, deux mille cinq, deux mille six, deux mille sept, deux mille huit, deux mille dix, deux mille onze, deux mille douze, deux mille treize, deux mille quatorze, deux mille dix-sept, deux mille dix-huit, et deux mille dix-neuf.”
From his first appearance in 2005 to the present day 14 years later, the numbers are as follows: 12 finals, 12 titles, and a laughable 93-2 record.
“It is incredible,” Nadal assured. “I can’t explain what I have achieved and how I feel. It was a dream to play here for the first time in 2005. I never thought in 2019 I’d still be here. It’s an incredible moment and very special for me.”
“Many–or all–guys fail to [beat Nadal in (the) Roland Garros finals,” Thiem concluded. “Just the numbers are crazy. He won it 12 times. Twelve times the opponents in the finals failed to beat him. So also, me.”
Thiem will in all likelihood lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires one day. The question is: how long is Nadal going to make him wait?
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Another gem from Rafa:
“The only favourite that matters is the one who has the cup at home in two weeks’ time.”