There are three certainties in life: Death, taxes and Rafael Nadal winning the French Open.
The Spanish tennis legend accomplished an incredible feat Sunday, defeating Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka in straight sets (6-2, 6-3, 6-1) in the French Open final at Roland Garros to win his 10th French Open men’s singles title.
Remarkably, Nadal didn’t drop a single set in the entire tournament en route to his 15th career Grand Slam title, which inched him one step closer to rival Roger Federer in the history books.
But Nadal is the undisputed King of Clay, as he’s the first male tennis player ever to complete “La Decima” by winning the same Grand Slam title 10 times. Only Margaret Court has more wins in a Grand Slam event, with 11 Australian Open titles.
The 31-year-old hadn’t tasted victory at the French Open since he won five in a row from 2010 to 2014. His return to tennis’ pinnacle left the tennis world — as well as fellow countryman and Masters champion Sergio Garcia — in awe of his immense talents.
Dispute the status of tennis’ greats all you want, but nobody has dominated a single event quite like Nadal at the French Open.
Thumbnail photo via Susan Mullane/USA TODAY Sports Images
