Rafael Nadal wins historic 10th French Open title

Even Stan Wawrinka had to smile before Sunday’s French Open final when the stadium announcer listed year-by-year each of the nine previous titles Rafael Nadal had won at Roland Garros.

Another one can now be added to the list – and it is one for the ages – after the Spaniard crushed Wawrinka 6-2 6-3 6-1 to become the first man to win the same grand slam on 10 occasions.

The ‘Decima.’

Indeed it is a feat that may never be duplicated.

He collapsed to the court when Wawrinka sent a backhand into the net and seconds later an emotional Nadal sunk his head into his towel while in his chair. He was soon cradling the famous trophy like a baby.

“It’s truly incredible,” Nadal told the crowd. “In this final, to win the Decima is very, very special. I’m really emotional.

“The feeling I have here is impossible to describe. Difficult to compare to other places. For me the nerves, the adrenaline I feel when I play on this court is impossible to compare to another feeling. It’s the most important event in my career without a doubt.”

Spain's Rafael Nadal celebrates victory in the men's singles final against Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland at Roland Garros in Paris on June 11, 2017. The win meant Nadal claimed his 10th French Open title.

Wawrinka reacts during the men's final against Nadal at the French Open on Sunday.

Nadal shakes hands with Wawrinka following their match at Roland Garros.

Nadal serves during Sunday's final.

The winner's trophy is seen in the background as Nadal hits a backhand.

Wawrinka breaks his racket in frustration during his defeat by Nadal.

Nadal hits one of many returns during his 6-2 6-3 6-1 victory.

Wawrinka kicks a ball during his comprehensive loss to Nadal.

The Philippe-Chatrier Court is packed with spectators during the men's final on Sunday.

Nadal wins 10th French Open title

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His coach and uncle, Toni, got choked up, too, when he unexpectedly came on court to present Nadal with a special trophy celebrating those 10 titles. Toni won’t travel with his nephew next year, as he steps aside to focus on his work at Nadal’s new tennis academy in Mallorca.

Only twelve months ago a tearful Nadal bailed from his favorite tournament in Paris in the first week with a wrist injury, another in a seemingly endless list of ailments to derail the 31-year-old.

Temporarily, that is.

Be it his knees, wrist or appendicitis, Nadal has always managed to recover and rediscover some of his finest tennis, despite admitting to having doubts.

Those same doubts, he said, prompted him to keep working hard.

Agonizingly close to winning a 15th major at the Australian Open in January – he lost to great rival and Wawrinka’s fellow Swiss Roger Federer after holding a break lead in the fifth set – there was simply no denying Nadal at Roland Garros as he ended a three-year drought at majors.

Asked if No. 10 was more special than the others, Nadal said yes.

“It’s true that this one is gonna be one of the more special ones for the number, for what happened on the ceremony after the final, for so many things,” he told reporters.

“And because I am 31 already and not a kid anymore.

“Because of the level of tennis and accepting that I have had problems, physical problems for the last period of time, it’s an important one.”

Reflecting on his accomplishments at the French Open after a montage showed his converted match points in each of his French Open successes, Nadal added that he never thought he’d be playing the game for so long.

“In 2005, I thought in 2017 I’d be fishing on my boat in Mallorca,” he said.

Nadal moved into sole possession of second place in men’s majors, pulling away from American Pete Sampras and once again getting to within three of Federer, who skipped Roland Garros to prepare for the grass-court swing.

READ: Nadal says French Open title ‘more special’

A lot has changed since a 19-year-old Rafael Nadal became only the second man in history to win Roland Garros at the first attempt. The bulging biceps, long hair and headband remain, but the Spaniard's sense of style has certainly changed.

2005 —

Nadal went into his first French Open as an inexperienced 18-year-old and emerged a grand slam champion -- beating Roger Federer in the semifinals on his 19th birthday. The 2005 season was the birth of what would go on to be Nadal's classic look: sleeveless top and three-quarter length shorts.

2006 —

By the following year, Nadal had cemented his place among tennis' elite and was developing a fearsome reputation on clay. This time wearing a slightly less garish light blue, Nadal picked up his second consecutive French Open title by becoming the first man to beat Roger Federer in a grand slam final.

2007 —

In 2007, the then 20-year-old Nadal's status as the 'King of Clay' was sealed. Defeat to Federer at the Masters Series in Hamburg ended an 81-match unbeaten streak on clay, which remains a men's Open Era record today. At that year's French Open, Nadal opted for the reverse of 2006's top-bandana combo -- this time with matching trainers to boot.

2008 —

A year later, Nadal opted for a variation on his debut French Option look, this time sporting an all-green combo. Nadal reached world No. 1 for the first time in his career in 2008, helped by his fourth consecutive Roland Garros title -- matching Bjorn Borg's record of consecutive trophies, while also becoming only the seventh man to win a grand slam without dropping a set.

2009 —

Nadal's first dramatic transformation came in 2009. Gone were the sleeveless shirts and three-quarter lengths, in came the sleeves and fluorescent, clashing colors. Perhaps it was the sleeves restricting the powerful arms (or maybe a knee injury), but Nadal suffered the first of only two French Open defeats. Despite a shock fourth-round loss to Robin Soderling, Nadal set a record of 31 consecutive wins at Roland Garros.

2010 —

In 2010, Nadal bounced back from the 2009 disappointment with a daring multicolored number. He went on to exact revenge on Soderling, beating him in the final after the Swede had upset Federer in the quarterfinals. Federer's failure to reach the semis meant Nadal regained the world No. 1 spot, while it was also the second time he won the French Open without dropping a set.

2011 —

The following year, Nadal dialed down the brightness, instead choosing to return to one of his earliest Roland Garros styles. And it worked -- he maintained his No. 1 ranking throughout the clay court season and beat perennial rival Federer in the final.

2012 —

Perhaps in an attempt to gain the upper hand on opponents by blending into the clay, Nadal opted for an orange-ish-red look for the first time at the French Open. It appeared to work, as Nadal dropped just 30 games in the first five rounds, before beating Djokovic in four sets in the final to claim his seventh Roland Garros title and surpass Borg as the tournament's most successful player.

2013 —

The 2013 French Open was the debut of Nadal's latest wardrobe change: the short shorts. In an all-Spanish final, Nadal defeated David Ferrer in straight sets -- although bizarrely dropped from fourth in the world to fifth after his victory.

2014 —

Perhaps a sign of entering into his late 20s, Nadal's colors switched from fluorescent to more mellow tones. Despite being hampered by injuries and suffering surprise defeats early in the clay court season, Nadal grinded out arguably his most impressive Roland Garros victory. Another victory in the final against Djokovic took him to 14 grand slams (level with Pete Sampras) and it was his fifth straight French Open triumph.

2015 —

Nadal's struggle to find form continued into 2015's clay court season, dropping outside of the world's top five for the first time since 2005. Looking like an athletic version of the Cookie Monster, Nadal crashed out of the French Open in the quarterfinals to Djokovic. It ended his 39-match unbeaten run and marked just his second defeat on the Parisian clay.

2016 —

The following year, the shorts got even shorter and the two-tone top returned as Nadal exited the French Open in the third round -- although this time it was a wrist injury that defeated him. Despite the disappointment, there was another milestone for Nadal as he became only the eighth man to reach 200 grand slam wins.

2017 —

Nadal debuted his strong blue look against Benoit Paire in the first round and the King of Clay went on to complete "'La Decima" of 10 Roland Garros titles.

French Open: Rafael Nadal's Roland Garros evolution

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No sets lost

And for the third time – after 2008 and 2010 – he won the French Open title without conceding a set, dropping a mere 35 games in seven matches. He averaged less than two hours on court.

He is not dubbed the ‘King of Clay’ for no reason.

Gustavo Kuerten, the much loved Brazilian who was feted along with other tennis Hall of Famers prior to the finale, insisted last week Nadal could win several more French Opens.

If he does so next year, his 11 titles would match what Margaret Court accomplished at the Australian Open in the 1960s and 70s. She is the lone other tennis player to reach double digits at the same major.

Certainly Nadal’s form suggests he has plenty of good tennis left in him but he’ll want those injuries to stay away.

Should he continue to pile up victories at Roland Garros, it will indeed be without Uncle Toni. Former French Open winner Carlos Moya – currently Nadal’s co-coach, added last year for a fresh voice – will be taking on more of the load.

All those years ago, it was Toni’s decision to turn Nadal from a right-hander – his dominant hand outside of tennis – to a lefty. A masterstroke.

There is no greater challenge in tennis than trying to defeat Nadal in a best-of-five set match on clay, so Wawrinka looked back on his fortnight with fondness once the immediate disappointment faded.

“For sure this score wasn’t good, the match wasn’t good, but at the end of the day there’s a lot of positives to take from the last few weeks,” said Wawrinka.

READ: Ostapenko wins women’s title

READ: Sharapova out of Wimbledon qualifying

He lost his first grand slam final in four attempts, having opened his account by topping Nadal at the 2014 Australian Open.

He played 4 1/2 hours against world No. 1 Andy Murray in Friday’s semifinals but said his fitness wasn’t the issue.

‘You shouldn’t think too much’

“Roger and Rafa, they are very good,” said Wawrinka. “With them, you hesitate. Even though I have a game plan, even though I know what I have to do, there is always some hesitation in your mind.

“From time to time I was saying, ‘Am I going to go for it?’

“So this is something that is very difficult to control. And if you miss a ball, if you hit a ball short, they will attack you.

“When you play against them, you have to go for your shots and you shouldn’t think too much.”

In the first set on Philippe Chatrier court, the Swiss controlled most of the rallies as Nadal opted to sit back and not force matters. He admitted to nerves.

Nadal saved the first break point in the third game with a good serve – the lone break point he faced – then Wawrinka immediately saved four. But Nadal pulled away to win four straight games from 2-2.

It was a steamy day in Paris – temperatures hovered around 30 degrees Celsius – a boost to Nadal’s heavily spun forehand that can trouble players with one-handed backhands.

He clearly stepped up his game in the second game of the second, adopting a more aggressive stance on the baseline and dictating proceedings. After one rally in which he bullied his foe all over the court, Wawrinka placed a the ball in his mouth in frustration.

Blazing forehand

Nadal’s blazing forehand down the line – clocked at 99 miles per hour – drew prolonged gasps from the crowd at 4-1. He was now in full flow.

Wawrinka knew he had to break Nadal to stay in the second set to have any – small – chance of triumphing: Nadal was 11-1 in grand slam finals when taking the opener.

But it didn’t materialize and Wawrinka flung his racket to the court in disgust when he missed a forehand passing shot with Nadal stranded.

Nadal never relented in this first men’s final featuring two thirty-somethings at Roland Garros since 1969.

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Updated 11:06 AM EDT, Mon June 12, 2017

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Nadal enjoys a 'unique' French Open victory

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Wawrinka – with a seemingly smile of resignation on his face – implored the crowd to get behind him when he delicately sent a chipped backhand past Nadal in the fifth game of the third. He was broken though a few seconds later to trail 4-1 and the end swiftly followed.

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At one point when talking to the crowd, Nadal switched from French to English because he said his French was “very bad.”

His play at the French Open hasn’t been, that’s for sure.

“I’m not the first – and not the last to lose against him on clay,” said the runner-up.