Lob and Smash
Fansided

The trials and determination of Nadal’s record 12th French Open victory

By Siddhant Guru

PARIS, FRANCE - JUNE 09: Rafael Nadal of Spain consoles opponent Dominic Thiem of Austria following the mens singles final during Day fifteen of the 2019 French Open at Roland Garros on June 09, 2019 in Paris, France. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE - JUNE 09: Rafael Nadal of Spain consoles opponent Dominic Thiem of Austria following the mens singles final during Day fifteen of the 2019 French Open at Roland Garros on June 09, 2019 in Paris, France. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images) /
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PARIS, FRANCE – JUNE 09: Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates following the mens singles final against Dominic Thiem of Austria during Day fifteen of the 2019 French Open at Roland Garros on June 09, 2019 in Paris, France. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE – JUNE 09: Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates following the mens singles final against Dominic Thiem of Austria during Day fifteen of the 2019 French Open at Roland Garros on June 09, 2019 in Paris, France. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images) /

Never change something that works.

It was clear that Thiem was rattled by Nadal’s onslaught in the third set. And before he could gather his wits and his strokes, Rafa broke him again in the 4th set, with a consistent barrage of aggressive hitting. Nadal made 9 forays to the net in the 4th set, winning 8 of those 9 points.

He went further and further to the front of the court and he got richly rewarded for it. Thiem put up a better fight in the 4th set but it was all to no avail. Rafa had dominated the last two sets, shortening the rallies and running Thiem ragged.

It was Nadal’s longest Roland Garros final since beating Djokovic in 2014. His 12th win was a showcase of the genius tactician that lives inside the Mallorcan matador. Very few players can so effectively identify a problem with their primary strategy and even fewer have the courage to change it in the middle of a Grand Slam final. Rafael Nadal did that and it earned him a 12th French Open title.

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