Nadal takes third straight French Open crown, his 12th overall
There might not be any certainties in life, but Rafael Nadal, the so-called "King of Clay," winning the French Open is about as close it comes.
Nadal, the no. 2 ranked men's tennis player in the world, captured his record 12th French Open title on Sunday after defeating No. 4-ranked Dominic Thiem in four sets. The 33-year-old Nadal, who hails from Spain, not only holds the most French Open titles in history, he is closing in on Roger Federer's record for most major titles in men's tennis history. Federer has 20, Nadal now has 18.
Thiem battled Nadal in the early stages of the match, even taking the second set from him, but Nadal's experience and talent eventually won out as he cruised to consecutive 6-1 set victories to close out the match.
It was Nadal's third consecutive win at Roland Garros.
RAFA GETS HIS 12TH
In a rematch of the 2018 final, @RafaelNadal defeats Thiem 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 to win @RolandGarros for a record 12th time.#RG19 pic.twitter.com/EfPTTw8oxZ— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) June 9, 2019