Ton-up Shikhar Dhawan stars in India’s win over Australia PAGE 15 MONDAY, JUNE 10, 2019 England beat Switzerland on penalties CRICKET WORLD CUP to finish 3rd in Nations League PAGE 14 SOUTH AFRICA VS WI NO STOPPING HISTORY MAN NADAL THIEM NADAL 7 ACES 3 FINAL 1 DOUBLE FAULTS 0 70% FIRST SERVE % 74% 58% WIN % ON 1ST SERVE 73% D. THIEM 3 7 1 1 52% WIN % ON 2ND SERVE 64% 2 BREAK POINTS WON 7 0 TIEBREAKS WON 0 R. NADAL 6 5 6 6 31 RECEIVING POINTS WON 41 82 POINTS WON 116 12 GAMES WON 23 2 MaX GAMES WON IN A ROW 5 Spain’s Rafael Nadal celebrates after the French Open. (AFP) 6 MaX POINTS WON IN A ROW 11 51 SERVICE POINTS WON 75 10 SERVICE GAMES WON 16 Spaniard sweeps to 12th French Rafa Factfile Open and 18th Grand Slam title ● Rafael Nadal Parera ● AFP Nationality: Spanish PARIS ● Born: June 3, 1986 (33) RAFAEL Nadal swept to an ● Height: 6ft 1in (1.86m) historic 12th Roland Garros All time Grand title and 18th Grand Slam ● Plays: Left-handed crown on Sunday with a 6-3, Slam title winners ● Turned pro: 2001 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 victory over Aus- 20: Roger Federer (SUI) tria’s Dominic Thiem. ● 18: Rafael Nadal (ESP) Career prize money: The 33-year-old Spaniard $109,577,186 becomes the first player, man 15: Novak Djokovic (SRB) or woman, to win the same ● Grand Slam titles: 18 Slam 12 times after seeing 14: Pete Sampras (USA) off a brave challenge from a 12: Roy Emerson (AUS) Australian Open (2009), weary Thiem in a repeat of French Open (2005, 2006, the 2018 final. 11: Rod Laver (AUS), 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, Nadal is now just two be- Bjorn Borg (SWE) 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, hind Roger Federer’s all-time 2018, 2019), Wimbledon record of 20 majors and three 10: Bill Tilden (USA) ahead of Novak Djokovic who (2008, 2010), US Open was knocked out by Thiem in 8: Fred Perry (GBR), (2010, 2013, 2017) the semi-finals. Ivan Lendl (CZE), ● Total ATP titles: 82 The world number two also Jimmy Connors (USA), took his Paris record to an as- Andre Agassi (USA), ● Olympic gold medals: tonishing 93 wins and just two Ken Rosewall (AUS). Singles (2008), doubles losses having previously won (2016) the title in 2005-2008, 2010- 2014, 2017 and 2018. here in 2019. “I want to say congratula- “It’s very special for me.” tions to Dominic. I feel sorry as Sunday’s triumph con- Spain’s Rafael Nadal celebrates with the trophy after winning the French Open title a 12th time at the Roland Garros in Paris on Sunday. (REUTERS) he deserves to win it as well,” firmed the ‘Big Three’ stran- said Nadal. glehold on the Grand Slams first for a 3-2 lead. his career, failed to claim a sin- It was the first set he had sweeping to a third break for He wasted break points in “But he has every chance in having shared the last 10 be- But the 25-year-old’s joy gle point off Nadal’s first five managed to take off Nadal at the set. the first and third games of the the future. He has unbelievable tween them. was short-lived as Nadal re- service games of the second set. Roland Garros after three pre- Thiem, bidding to become fourth set and Nadal pounced talent for the sport and I want It also gave Nadal an trieved the break in the sixth However, the dogged vious defeats. just Austria’s second Grand to stretch to 3-0. to encourage him for the future. 82nd career title and 950th game before racing away with Austrian pushed and pushed, Nadal was riled by the Slam champion after Thomas That was soon 5-1 and the “It’s a dream to win again, match win. the next three games to pocket forced Nadal into three insult. Muster won in Paris in 1995, relentless barrage continued an incredible moment. When I In a 53-minute first set of the opener. rushed groundstrokes and, He swept the first 10 points had played four successive days with Nadal taking the title on first played here in 2005 I never brutal hitting and raw physi- Thiem, who had beaten his from nowhere, broke to take of the third set, carving out a to reach Sunday’s final and the a second match point when thought I would be still playing cality, it was Thiem who broke opponent four times on clay in the second set. double break for 3-0 before toll was slowly telling. Thiem fired a return long. ere’s a look at Spaniard achieved in the semi-finals when he HRafael Nadal’s 12 defeated Djokovic 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-7, triumphs in Paris: 9-7 in a 4-hour 37-minute epic. 2005: bt Mariano Puerta (ARG) SUPER SPANIARD’S FEAT OF CLAY 2014: bt Novak Djokovic (SRB) 3-6, 6-7, 6-3, 6-1, 7-5 – At just 19, Na- 7-5, 6-2, 6-4 – Title number nine in dal became the youngest winner of his ninth final for Nadal and his 14th a Grand Slam title since Michael Grand Slam success on an afternoon Chang won at Roland Garros in where temperatures nudged 30 de- 1989 at 17. He was the first man grees. It was his 45th career clay- since Mats Wilander in 1982 to win court title. the French Open on his debut. Puer- 2017: bt Stan Wawrinka (SUI) 6-2, ta was to later fail a drugs test and 6-3, 6-1 – Nadal coasts to a record handed an eight-year ban, eventu- 10th French Open title, demolishing ally reduced to two years. Wawrinka in a brutally one-sided fi- 2006: bt Roger Federer (SUI) 1-6, nal which also earns the Spaniard a 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 – Nadal became the 15th Grand Slam crown. Nadal, 31, first man to beat Federer in a Slam becomes the first man in history to final, ending the Swiss star’s hopes win the same major 10 times. It is of holding all four majors at the his most one-sided final win since same time. It was Nadal’s 60th win allowing Federer just four games in in a row on clay. the 2008 final. 2007: bt Roger Federer (SUI) 6-3, 2018: bt Dominic Thiem (AUT) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 – The 21-year-old Na- 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 – Nadal moves to 17 dal became the first man since Bjorn Grand Slam titles with a straightfor- Borg in 1980 to win three successive ward victory over Austrian Thiem. titles at Roland Garros. He again Nadal endured a nervy conclusion also shattered Federer’s hopes of be- to the final, however, when he need- coming only the third man in history ed treatment in the third set for a to hold all four majors. finger injury. 2008: bt Roger Federer (SUI) 6-1, 2019: bt Dominic Thiem (AUT) 6-3, 6-0 – Nadal condemned his 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 – Nadal overcomes great rival to his worst ever loss in dropping the second set by racing to a Grand Slam event. The Spaniard victory over Thiem for the second also won the title without losing a successive year. The 33-year-old, set, becoming the third man to do seemingly angered by losing a set in so in the Open era after Ilie Nastase the final for the first time since 2014, and Borg. crushes the Austrian in the third and 2010: bt Robin Soderling (SWE) fourth sets to make it 12 titles and 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 – Nadal avenged his ing for the first time since July 2009. Federer had ended Novak Djoko- Djokovic’s bid to be the first man when the match was halted for the take his win-loss record at Roland defeat to the Swede at Roland Gar- 2011: bt Roger Federer (SUI) 7-5, vic’s 43-match undefeated run in since Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all night. Garros to a staggering 93-2. ros 12 months earlier. Again, Na- 7-6, 5-7, 6-1 – Nadal claimed his the semi-finals. four majors. Rain meant that the 2013: bt David Ferrer (ESP) 6-3, “I can’t explain what I’ve achieved dal finished the tournament without sixth French Open to equal the re- 2012: bt Novak Djokovic (SRB) final was completed on Monday 6-2, 6-3 – Nadal comfortably beats and how I feel. It’s a dream,” said having dropped a set. He also re- cord of Borg, also taking his Slam 6-4, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 – Nadal goes past which was tough on Djokovic who his compatriot for an eighth French Nadal. “It’s an incredible moment gained the world number one rank- total into double figures at 10. Borg’s record of six titles and ends was a break up in the fourth set Open but the hard yards were and very special for me.” (AFP).