Nadal reigns for 11th time at French Open after rolling over Thiem

June 11, 2018 Ricky Match recaps 82

Rafael Nadal lifted the Coupe des Mousquetaires for the first time back in 2005. It’s now 2018, and he is still out here winning French Opens.

In fact, “winning” is hardly accurate; “dominating” is more like it.

Nadal captured a second straight title at Roland Garros and his 11th overall on the red clay of Paris when he trounced Dominic Thiem 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 on Sunday afternoon. The 32-year-old, who surrendered just one set throughout the entire tournament, triumphed after two hours and 42 minutes.

Playing in his first career Grand Slam final, Thiem managed to be competitive only through nine games. The eighth-ranked Austrian recovered from an immediate service donation to break back for 1-2 in the first set before holding en route to 4-4. Following a Nadal hold in the ninth game, Thiem cracked under the pressure of serving to stay in the opener. Nadal broke at love to wrap things up and was off to the races.

The world No. 1 committed a mere 12 unforced errors throughout the remainder of the match–the same number he had made in the first set alone. He faced just one break point in the second and none in the third, stumbling only when he reached triple-championship point at 5-2. Nadal squandered four championship points in total before converting his fifth when Thiem sent a backhand return slightly over the baseline.

Highlights:

“I don’t think he was out of the match (at any point),” Nadal said of Thiem. “Maybe at the end when I had a break against him (in the third set)…. [It was] at the end of the third set when I was able to get a 5-2 that I really overcame him, but I believe that tactically he was good and [tennis-wise] he played well. I went to the court with a clear idea of what I wanted to do; I applied it well. I don’t know; I don’t know if you saw it in any other way, but I felt the match was good throughout.

“It means, first of all, adding one more title of the most important tournament for me during the year,” he continued. “It also means knowing that for the rest of the year you know that whatever happens, the year is going to be good; and you feel a bit [relaxed].”

“It’s really a great thing that I made my way (to the final) and that I was competing in a final against [Nadal],” Thiem commented. “It’s a really great thing, but still I’m disappointed. It was a final; I really wanted to win.

“It’s a big goal for me to play soon (in) another slam finals. Of course it’s going to be easier then, because it’s not going to be the first time anymore. Then hopefully I can do it better than today.”

Thiem is definitely right about one thing: it can’t possibly be any tougher than Nadal at Roland Garros.

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71 Comments on Nadal reigns for 11th time at French Open after rolling over Thiem

  3. If 10 was already ridiculous… well, to not have enough hands to count trophies it’s just * (place adjective here…………………….) *

    This sums up the general feeling 🙂 :

    https://twitter.com/wesportfr?lang=en

    There’s just NEVER going to be someone like him, please Rafa, keep playing for a few more years 🙂 🙂

    Reply

  4. I’ve read somewhere, apparently from Rafa’s mouth, that the cramps might have been caused by his strapping being too tight. Once it was removed everything was better.
    He also said that had it been critical he wouldn’t have retired anyway, that the two set advantage would have compelled him to keep playing no matter what… thank goodness it didn’t come to that!

    Reply

  6. Vamos Rafa….but as much as this may sound like heresy, I think that was his last one. He’s getting older, and too many good, young players coming up. Don’t shoot the messenger!!!

    Reply

    • Scoot, yes, Rafa is getting older. and I think he wasn’t quite at last year’s level. But there are not a lot of young players who challenge him. There’s only Thiem so far, and Zverev might also get there one day. But the young guns aren’t exactly forming a skirmish line. Fed and Rafa have hogged the last six slams. That says it all!

      Reply

    • Have to say I agree with you, Scoot. Of course, I didn’t think Nadal would win any more slams after AO 2017, and he’s now won 3 since then. So what do I know.

      Nevertheless, time waits for no man, and Rafa will be 33 at next year’s RG. (I’m sorry, but I just don’t think he is winning another non-clay slam). Plus, an injury at this stage of one’s career is often career-ending or at least significantly career-lowering. See Murray, Djokovic, Wawrinka, amongst countless others. And Nadal is more injury-prone than most players, not less.

      I know Rafa fans will bring up Fed, but remember that when Roger was 32 everyone was saying he was done. It’s only the switch to the larger racquet revived his career (by which I mean his chances to win more slams, not merely keep playing, which isn’t enough for an ATG like Rafa or Fed). More specifically, it’s made his already-potent serve even better. And big servers can often hang on longer; see Karlovic. Nadal doesn’t have a big serve, and it’s very unlikely, imo, that there is a silver bullet that will save him from the ravages of age. So I think that Scott’s hunch may well be true.

      Reply

      • You could be right, Joe! There were so many hunches you had over the past fortnight. An overwhelming number of them were true! 😛

        Reply

      • Joe…I usually don’t care much with what u said here,[despite my fellow Rafans always ‘bristled’ at your comments!hahaha]…For me,u have every right to say whatever u want..But..this time i want to disagree with u…soooo much!!

        I know Rafa is older than last year..and injury prone too.. he knows it too![even tho he said he don’t feel old at all]…But,to claim that he won’t win another non clay slam anymore?…i think,it’s a little bit premature to assumed that don’t u?If u r a God,i will believe what u said in a second!..But,you’re no God joe…You’re just a human being like the rest of us..therefore,u knew nothing about the future…

        Besides,be careful with what you’re saying Joe!Coz it might come to bite u big time in the future…I wanna bookmark this page,your comment so when the time comes..just in case Rafa win another non clay slam,i will make u swallow your words & apologize to us Rafans…I like u Joe..but,that’s what i wanna do to u if Rafa win..I promise!

        Oh!..wanna share a short story with u…On TX,in 2015 when Rafa had his confidence crisis..they came out with a thread,titled…” RIP Rafael Nadal Parrera 1986-2015″…I criticized very harshly that thread….And when Rafa won a slams again last year,i ripped the editor very harshly once again…and last month i did it again by saying..”I will kick the editors ass if he were next to me for produced such a terrible thread,for disrespected & underestimated one of the great competitor we’ve ever seen in our history..and what’s more, for hurting us Rafans with his insensitivity…That’s all Joe!Good day to u!!

        Reply

        • MA,

          I know you don’t usually take issue with anyone here, but I have to say that this was one of your best posts! Brilliant! I could not have said it any better.

          Unfortunately, we have seen people online too often write off a great champion. I am not surprised at the comment you referenced on tennis-x. That site has been a hotbed of anti-Rafa propaganda for a long time. That’s why I stopped posting there years ago. No loss. Just reading the title of that thread made me angry even now. I am glad that you ripped into the editor over it. That was well deserved!

          I am afraid that Joe Smith is engaging in wishful thinking. But you are right. He is not God. No one knows what lies ahead.

          I am still celebrating Rafa’s great win, but it’s not surprising that some are writing Rafa’s epitaph. What else can they do after he has made history again? After his latest and greatest victory, there will always be those who spew out negativity.

          I am so proud of you, your passion and support for Rafa! You are the best!
          😘

          Reply

        • Thanks, Mira. You’ll note that I did acknowledge my wrong prediction from last year. I have no problem, and I’ll be back with my mea culpa if Rafa wins another non-clay slam. Just don’t see it happening…

          Reply

          • Hahahaha…Thank u so much for the compliments Nny!!…Even tho i don’t like what i said to Joe..But,i had to!…Coz i think he’s wrong to write off a great champion like Rafa…Even tho he could be right too!…Who knows!!Only God knows everything..We can only speculate this & that…

            I thought after what Rafa & Fed shown to us a whole year last year,some of us should learned not to take them & their passion & desire to compete lightly anymore…In Rafa’s case,didn’t he proved to us over & over & over again that injuries is just on his physics..and even tho it impacted his mental big time once[the crumbs of it still left in his mind imo]..but it NEVER TOUCHED his spirit & heart…That’s why he still come back over & over & over again from that dreadful & sorrowful place..a place ONLY Rafa knows that if u don’t have a will as hard as an iron,u would never come back..Let alone to hoist a trophy over & over again….But,Rafa DID…Proved us wrong many many times…And after all that…We DARE to doubt him AGAIN??And Rafa is just 32!…Still very much in love with tennis…Even if he’s injured..He will take a rest & come back fresh…What’s scary…His passion for tennis is still blooming like 15 years ago…

            I’m very excited to see where would Rafa take us Nny!… We’ve already been to stars…What next???Who wants to join me??LET’S RIDE ON RAFA’S ROLLER COASTER EVERYBODY!!!!!WOOOOHOOOOO!!!…C’MON!BRING IT ON!!!

            THANK U GOD!!

          • Joe!…That’s okay!…I have no hard feelings towards u!I swear!Haha…I like your challenge…Very excited to see whether u’re going to be right or wrong…

    • Scoot Dimon,
      Contrary to what you think, I don’t think Rafa should even be in the draw. He should be put straight into the final to play whoever makes it from the draw, after winning 11 times out of 13. That would free the minds of players from constantly dreaming that someone might take Rafa out before they get to play him.

      Reply

    • I think it’s pretty churlish to say that this will be Rafa’s last RG because he’s getting older. Has that been said about Fed?

      It’s in poor taste to say it right after he won a record breaking 11th title. No one can predict the future. Rafa could have hung up his racket after he won La Decima last year. He had nothing left to prove, he could have just taken his unbelievable record at RG and called it a day. But despite injury at this year’s AO, he came back and put it on the line again at RG.

      I just choose to stay in the moment and not speculate about the future!

      Reply

    • It’s got to the point now where even taking a set off Rafa at RG is headline news and one that remains on the player’s list of notable career achievements. I don’t know how many times they mentioned Diego Shortman in the preview of the final.

      Reply

  8. I’ll wait and see. After Rafa’s poor 2015 I thought he was finished as a top player. Then he looked so much better in 2016 – it seemed like a miracle until his wrist injury – so I thought “just too many injuries” — and then 2017 and it was like a rebirth. Rafa says there are limits but you don’t know where they are so you might as well act as if there aren’t any – or something like that…Rafa has always known that the next match might be his last one so he figures he’ll play as if this IS his last match.

    Last year the Barcelona tournament gave Rafa his second full size Conde de Godo trophy and said they’d start working on his third. Rafa said no, he wasn’t going to win five more. Well, he won another one this year so we’ll have to wait and see exactly where his limit is.

    Reply

  9. I’m not into predictions. Why should Rafa not be able to win another one?
    If I’m worried about anything it’s the demolition of the Chatrier. The French may or may not have warmed to Rafa by now – I’m pretty sure that they will come up with a new court which is not exactly designed to showcase Rafa’s strength, lol! It’s not only about the ingredients of te clay – it’s also about the overall dimensions of the court. Rafa didn’t even like this year’s clay particularly wellm and thought it was too slippery. But the French have tried these kinds of adjustments before, for example by using different balls. Nothing but Sod, the Djoker and his wrist have stopped Rafa, though.

    Reply

  10. Will Nadal play queens. After his recent interview I seriously doubt it. But I would have loved him to get some practice before wimby and also relinquish his no.1 ranking from fed which rafa will lose in stuttgart I suppose.

    Reply

    • rafa rules, I wouldn’t be surprised if Rafa pulls out of Queens. If he plays, he’d have to start practising on grass from Wednesday. We’ll know if he doesn’t come to England tomorrow. A warm-up tournament and intensive practice should be enough.

      He needs to rest his body otherwise he’ll pay for it for the rest of the year.

      Reply

  12. Congrats Rafa and all rafans here. I see Rafa winning RG for at least 3 more years.

    Take rest and come back stronger

    Reply

  13. I’m sure this has been discussed already, but I start here anyway. Rafa’s withdrawal from Queens:
    This is hardly a big surprise, considering his remarks after the RG final. But it doesn’t bode well for Wimby.
    I’m a bit concerned, though, that he cited the stress of his ultra-successful clay season as the reason. Yes, he has played a lot of matches. On the other hand – unlike last year he had hardly played before the clay season, and he lost only four sets overall! How can he be so exhausted? I would’ve expected him to be much fresher than last year, when he and Moya were full of optimism re: his prospects at Wimby.
    I am a bit concerned…

    Reply

    • Littlefoot…I think Rafa whether still feel pain in his hip @ or he wanna be cautious bout his hip…Don’t forget.he skipped SA,IW,Miami bcoz of his hip…i very much doubt that his hip suddenly felt okay when he decided to play clay series…He,s not exhausted i think..but more to take care of his hip…And i have no doubt that augusta will harassing me after this statement!Hahaha….Now..1,2,3….here he comes!…

      Reply

      • Mira Andi says AT 6:49 AM: “I think Rafa whether still feel pain in his hip…”

        ===
        I wonder why some posters create fictions.

        Reply

        • Augusta, for the umpteen’s time: we are not creating fiction, which means stating something which is not real. We are speculating. Never heard about the difference?
          What we are speculating about may or may not be true. And I think that’s pretty clear in most of our comments. Hopefully everything is fine and dandy with Rafa.
          If you don’t like speculations, I suggest that you simply ignore our comments 😉

          Reply

          • littlefoot JUNE 14, 2018 AT 8:27 AM,

            Your personal fictions have no influence on me, I’m just trying to find facts after reading your comments. 🙂

          • Mira Andi AT 9:40 AM,

            This UK publication:
            – repeats Rafa’s official announcement about his withdrawal from Queen’s;
            – and fortunately has quoted Toni’s words contradicting what one poster has written:
            “But I believe that if he is physically well, he will have the opportunity [to win Wimbledon]. It will not be easy for him, but he can do it.”

            Vamos U.Toni!

          • Mira Andi says AT 9:40 AM: “…in my post up there,Rafa’s withdrawal from Queen bcoz he wanna be cautious about his hip right?”
            ===

            No, you are wrong. Rafa (& his team) hasn’t said anything about it.

          • augusta 10:22am…Aahh!…Now,i can properly gave u my reply…I was holidaying in Antartica last week…too brain freeze to answer u!…

            U said i was wrong & Rafa & his team hasn’t said anything about it…And Rafa said he was spoken to his Doc & he needs to listen to his body…

            Okay!…My understanding..Since he was going to play on grass then ‘Body’ here is Rafa’s knees…Not his toenails or his ears or his bird[sorry!i had to say this just in case augusta got confused]..We know at this time of year..the transition from clay to grass is very hard for Rafa’s knees…Right?

            2ndly…The ‘Body’ here also from my POV is his hip…or in a glamour word..his ass…since the latest injury he had is hip…U seriously think that after the very successful CC season once again this year that he don’t need to rest his sore hips & just jumping straight into a very high level tourney?Even tho it’s just 250 Tourney..C’mon augusta dear!!…They don’t have/need to say anything about it….Sometimes when we read or analysed some situations,we already knew the drill…It’s called ‘Read between the lines’….

            Last year..me,Hawks talked about how Rafa still nervous sometimes on court that lead to his lack of confidence in certain situations…and bam!..u awarded us with a nickname ‘wheelchair Doctor’…And this year Rafa & Moya himself admitted publicly this issue…And it turned out that we was right!…I said this not bcoz i want to bragging/humiliated u augusta,,but… u always come after us or became too defensive when u don’t like our opinion…This is the blog where we can discuss or voiced our opinion as much as we want about any player…And i love to read everyones opinion about Rafa..positive or negative…Especially when he lose..i want to know why he lost..there’s must be a reason why he lost….But u always attack posters who voiced their opinion very honestly…Like u did to littlefoot the other day….I respect u very much augusta…I always took your link & gave to other Rafans & they loved it!…But i will also defend myself if necessary…

            LONG LIVE RAFA!!!!WHOOOOOHOOOOO!!!

      • I agree MA. We know he wants to prolong is career for as long as possible so I’m sure he will plan his schedule accordingly (as Federer does). I’m also puzzled why he was so emotional and sobbing when he won his 11th RG i.e. far more than last year. To me it was rather ominous and I prefer not to speculate about the possible significance.

        Reply

        • Ed, sorry for being so gloomy. I can understand that you don’t want to think too much about the potential implications.
          But I can’t help being a bit worried. I try to interpret Rafa’s behavior and read between the lines. And I notice a marked difference between this year’s and last year’s RG win. Last year Camp Rafa was all bullish and stated that Rafa would go to Wimby and play to win. This year they hinted at maybe skipping grass completely.
          In the end we can only wait and see…

          Reply

          • littlefoot says AT 8:40 AM:”Last year Camp Rafa was all bullish and stated that Rafa would go to Wimby and play to win. This year they hinted at maybe skipping grass completely.”
            ===

            Hmm. I haven’t seen any interviews with Rafa’s team, where they ‘hinted’ it. I have read Rafa’s interviews, he hadn’t ‘hinted’ it.

            I know that UK publications (very far from Rafa & his team) have SPECULATED about it.

        • ed251137 AT 8:32 AM,

          Rafa has repeatedly emphasized said that he is NOT copying Fed (after pro-Fed journalists have asked him this question over and over and over again).

          Reply

        • ed251137 says AT 8:32 AM: “I’m also puzzled why he was so emotional and sobbing when he won his 11th RG …”
          ===

          It’s not so difficult to understand that he was HAPPY after yet another injury setback at the beginning of the year, before the clay season.

          I still remember that he was sobbing after he won the 2010 Monte Carlo Masters. It was already his 6th MC title, but he had NOT won a title in 11 (!) months.

          Reply

        • We may have no idea how much the ultra successful clay season may have cost Rafa. It will come out eventually, and we may have even more appreciation for the successful completion of “Mission Undecima”.
          The most ominous sign that something wasn’t quite right may be his serving woes which started after Madrid. This is extremely puzzling since he had improved so much in this area. Last year Rafa was one of the most effective servers. This year Rafa teared through much of the clay season without an effective serve, and he was broken fairly often. He’s just so good on clay that he managed to win all but one match anyway fairly comfortable. But he has no chance at Wimby without an effective serve. If there is a lingering issue, it’s certainly better if he tries to heal and concentrate on the US hardcourt season.
          But again: I’m speculating, and Rafa may have Wimby on the menu after all.

          Reply

        • I thought it was what Rafa said himself. The fans gave him an unusually long standing ovation when he received the trophy. Their show of support made him ’emotional’. As for the grass Rafa simply stated that he would consult with his team and after doing so he withdrew from Queens. Hardly surprising. Running the table on the clay season is obviously more draining than it used to be. Rafa said he was “tired” during the 2nd set of the final, and I suspect that’s pretty unusual too. But it was quite humid and Rafa does not tolerate that well these days.

          Reply

        • MA,

          I wanted to say that I am so proud of you! I think you said it all so beautifully and without being mean or attacking. That is true class!

          I could not possibly say it all any better than you have. Your heart and soul is as big as an ocean!
          😍

          Reply

    • Littlefoot, don’t forget that Rafa is one year older now, also, after not playing for two to three months and then started competing, he needed time to gain back his stamina. To me, that might explain why he’s tired – physically, besides being tired mentally.

      I also had the worry about his hips when he wasn’t pushing hard when he served hence all the faults during his first serves. Perhaps he’s trying to protect his hips. Anyway, I doubt he’s injured now after his successful clay season, so it’s time now for him to rest and relax.

      I trust that Rafa and his doctor would see to his hips and make sure they’re fine before starting to play on grass and/or the HCs. As long as Rafa can you lay aggressive tennis and not needing to grind, I think he will be fine for the rest of the season.

      I do feel that Rafa being so emotional during the victory ceremony because it’s a hard earned victory, he felt the pressure especially this time after coming back from injury and yet everyone was expecting him to win.

      It felt like mission accomplished for him, a relief from all the built up pressure; many had taken him for granted but deep down he knew how difficult it was to win it year after year when he’s getting older, perhaps already past his prime and his challengers getting younger and younger and either in or nearing their prime.

      Reply

  14. Many, many years ago Rafa said he was ‘driven more by the fear of losing than by the desire to win’.

    I think this says a lot about his mental approach and his awesome competitiveness that allows him to win matches even when he is crippled by pain: which he is a lot of the time.

    This is never more evident than when he is competing at Roland Garros on his favourite court.

    Reply

    • And since the Chatrier will be destroyed and replaced by another court, Rafa has left this court on a fitting high note. Nobody has beaten a prime Rafa on that court, since Söderling and the Djoker managed to beat him there when he wasn’t in prime shape. Which is still a big achievement for both players (and Söderling’s prime claim to fame, lol) since Rafa wasn’t always in prime shape, and managed to win nevertheless.

      Reply

  16. Is Chartier getting destroyed or they just building a roof? They built a roof over Arthur Ashe without destroying the court, the court is the same..did we see any difference in Ashe last year after the roof? They built a roof over Wimby centre court too..did they destroy the court..I am not sure why is everyone saying repeatedly..Chartier is getting destroyed..and the roof will come up in 2020..not next year..Next year will be without the roof..

    Reply

  17. Did anyone see Federer crying this year at AO..he cried way way more than Rafa did..Did anyone hear Fed last year after his AO win…he kept pleading Rafa to atleast play and continue..

    Way too much is being made of Rafa crying at RG ceremony this year..What is so wrong in crying tears of happiness and ones sense of unbelievable accomplishment..He performed this entire clay season way beyond his own expectations maybe as he was coming back from injury…He must have been mentally exhausted and also overwhelmed too..

    Ofcourse the end is nearer than last year..he also knows he may not have too many RG titles left in him..hence every RG title he wins..it will overwhelm him..

    Reply

  18. Folks..please rewind and think how much print space we all spent worrying about the weather ..rain ..no sun this year at RG and how it will affect Rafa..did it matter at the end? The semis and finals were supposed to be all wet..the finals may not have been played too on Sunday supposedly..nothing mattered at the end..there was sun..Rafa won..

    Lets not speculate and worry too much 🙂

    Reply

    • Sanju,

      You are the last person to lecture anyone about worrying too much. You were the voice of doom and gloom throughout RG. So please take a good look at yourself before you call out anyone else.

      I am not making anything more out of Rafa crying at the trophy ceremony then it was. I thought it was emotion because of the overwhelming ovation from the crowd and feeling their love and appreciation. Also the emotion of once again winning RG for a record 11th time. It wasn’t easy coming back from another injury.

      I am not saying the end is near. I am just accepting the reality that Rafa is older and that takes a toll. Injuries take longer to heal. I don’t know the reason for the serve problems.

      I just really do not have you of all people telling others how to feel of that we are making too much of the emotion at the trophy ceremony.

      Rafa can’t play forever. I know that he will decide when to hang up his racket. I just want to enjoy every moment he is still playing.

      Reply

  19. Rafa beating Fed, Djokovic and Theim on RG in their prime and doing it multiple times and doing it consistently with all the weight of expectations is something extraordinary. His clay court dominance is beyond belief. 11 GS at a single wont happen again

    Reply

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