Top 5 Photos, June 9: Nadal still picture-perfect in French Open final
The Spaniard is 12-0 in the title round at Roland Garros; on Sunday, he defeated Dominic Thiem for the second straight season.
All photos from Getty Images.
1. Rafael Nadal, tennis' jumpman (sorry, Gael), soared above Dominic Thiem in the first set of the French Open final. His 6-3 win marked his 10th consecutive set won at Roland Garros.
2. Within the sight of side-eye? That's never good. But especially if you're playing Nadal in a French Open final. After Thiem matched Rafa in the second set—spin-heavy power shot after spin-heavy power shot—he snuck it out, 7-5. Nadal immediately responded with a double-break lead in the third set, which he took 6-1.
3. All credit to Thiem for his play in Paris, which included a five-set victory over Novak Djokovic—but his acrobatic assault was simply tested on another level by Nadal. It's the third consecutive year Thiem has fallen to Nadal at the French Open.
4. The dirty dozen seems appropriate here. Nadal has now won a mind-boggling 12 titles at Roland Garros.
5. Trophy life. Nadal stands just two Grand Slam singles titles away from rival Roger Federer's record of 20.
