Rafael Nadal entered the 2017 French Open final with a chance to win his 10th Grand Slam title at Roland Garros. He looked unbeatable from the first serve, continuing his dominance on clay for yet another year.
Stan Wawrinka fought back, but it was clear Nadal wasn’t letting anyone come close to upsetting his historical performance to complete “La Decima.”
Nadal’s first win at Roland Garros was in 2005 at 19 years old. He went on to win four straight years until 2008. He picked up where he left off in 2010, winning five straight until 2014. He now adds 2017 to his collection of 15 career Grand Slam title wins at 31 years old.
The King of Clay is just three title wins back from all-time leader Roger Federer with 18. He was dominant from start to finish, after powering through competition without dropping a set. Nadal is the first player in the Open era to hoist 10 trophies at a single tournament.
Wawrinka ended his streak of a perfect 3-0 record in Grand Slam final appearances with the loss to Nadal. His last three Slam final victories are a U.S. Open win against Novak Djokovic in 2016, a Roland Garros win against Djokovic in 2015 and a win against Nadal at the 2014 Australian Open. Entering the final, Wawrinka was on clay 5 hours and 19 minutes longer than Nadal in matches before the final. Wawrinka still look
In Nadal’s previous matches, his toughest competition has been against No. 6 Dominic Thiem. He proved nothing would get in his way, blowing past Thiem 6-3, 6-4, 6-0. Nadal and his dominant backhand also faced ranked opponents No. 17 Roberto Bautista Agut and No. 20 Pablo Carreno Busta.
Nadal boosts a 17-1 record on clay this year to date, while Wawrinka’s record stands at 6-3.
Wawrinka was able to knock off top-ranked Andy Murray in the semifinals in five sets, showing off a strong forehand. His journey to the final also included matches against ranked opponents No. 7 Marin Cilic, No. 15 Gael Monfils and No. 28 Fabio Fognini.
