French Open: Rafael Nadal disenchants Dominic Thiem in the final and takes twelfth title!
Rafael Nadal has won the French Open for the twelfth time. The Spaniard defeated Dominic Thiem in a long-range high-class final with 6: 3, 5: 7, 6: 1 and 6: 1 and celebrated his 18th Grand Slam triumph. ( The live ticker for reading ).
by Nikolaus Fink
last edit: Dec 28, 2019, 12:06 am
At exactly 3:02 p.m. Dominic Thiem and Rafael Nadal entered Court Philippe-Chatrier at Stade Roland Garros. The Spaniard received this honor for the twelfth time, the Austrian played in his second French Open final. Last year, Thiem was inferior to the 33-year-old in three clear sentences.
"There is certainly no greater challenge in sport than playing here against Nadal", Dominic Thiem had probably meant not only because of the defeat last year before the final. The Spaniard was in top form in Paris and had only delivered one set (against David Goffin) until the final.
But Thiem also played very well in the French capital and had defeated world number one Novak Djokovic in an epic five-set battle in the semifinals. The Lichtenwörther immediately took this form into the final and offered Nadal early opposition. The Mallorcan also started strong and so an encounter at an extremely high level quickly developed.
Thiem loses set one after break lead
The Lichtenwörther often barricaded himself meters behind the baseline, had astonishingly much success with this tactic and got the first break to 3: 2. As is so often the case in Paris, Nadal immediately struck back and, after a breakball, saved 4: 3 - the level was out of this world.
"It takes 90 hours for a point to be played. That is pointless," complained an increasingly frustrated Thiem in the eighth game, whose mood did not necessarily improve after another break from the Mallorcan. Then Nadal served confidently to win the set - but the Austrian could not really reproach himself.
Thiem breakt at the crucial moment
Thiem stayed on in the second set and presented Nadal with many changes of cut and a good mix of defensive and offensive points. In his return games, however, the fourth in the world rankings found it much more difficult than in round one. In the second section, Thiem was only able to win the first point in Nadal's fourth service game.
The Spaniard had almost as many problems with his setback and therefore had to serve against the loss of the set for the second time at 5: 6. Nadal could not withstand the pressure, had to give up his service game and thus the second round. It was Thiem's first set win in Paris against the 33-year-old.
The joy of the Lower Austrian was not too long, however, because Nadal grabbed the first break in the third set to make it 1-0. Thiem had said goodbye to the match for a short time and was immediately punished: With an outstanding passing ball, Nadal took the 25-year-old's serve again, overall the Mallorcan won the first eleven points of the third round.
Nadal with incredible level in the third movement
The Spaniard felt more and more comfortable on the Court Philippe-Chatrier, celebrated some incredible tennis and won the third set after another break with 6: 1. Thiem did not win a single point on serve Nadal and looked a bit tired after his game against Novak Djokovic - so the beginning of the fourth set was all the more important.
Naturally, both players knew this: Thiem invested a lot in the Mallorcan's first service game, but missed a break and had to give up his own service game shortly afterwards. The Austrian continued to offer a lot of resistance, but left two break options open in the third game and was confronted with a 0: 3 deficit.
18th Grand Slam triumph for Nadal
Nadal tried the preliminary decision, but Thiem fended off three break balls and shortened. Nevertheless, one had the impression that the world ranking second mostly had control over the match. This was not deceptive, Nadal made another break to 5: 1 and went on to win.
The Spaniard served easily after exactly three hours of play and won his twelfth title at the French Open. With the recent triumph in Paris, Nadal also secured his 18th victory in a Grand Slam tournament and is now only two major triumphs behind Roger Federer.
"The first thing I want to say is: Congratulations Dominic, I only wish you the best for the future. You are a very hard worker," said Nadal in a first statement. "It's a dream. I never thought I would play here in 2019. It's incredible," continued the Mallorcan.
"I love this tournament with all my heart," said a visibly kinked Thiem. "Winning twelve times here is surreal. But I will try again next year," the Austrian immediately sent a small declaration of war.