Admiring brilliance: Nadal wins his 11th French Open title

Rafael Nadal clutches 
the Coupe des Mousquetaires
after winning his 11th French Open title.

"We admire brilliance but will we get competition?" NBC's outstanding tennis commentator Ted Robinson asked as he readied to call Rafael Nadal's first match of the 2018 French Open against Simone Bolelli of Italy at Stade Roland Garros two weeks ago. Fast forward to the end of the Paris fortnight Sunday and the answer is yes.

Nadal captured his 11th French Open crown by defeating 24-year-old Austrian star Dominic Thiem, the only man to defeat him on clay during the past two years, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2, on Court Philippe Chatrier. In what seemed at times to resemble a blowout but was actually decided by just a few service breaks, Thiem did not play bad. Nadal just played better.

"I'm very happy right now," said Nadal during an on-court interview with French TV after his victory while awaiting the start of the trophy presentation. Nadal addressed the crowd in both French and English.

The victory solidified the King of Clay's No. 1 world ranking and it was Nadal's first major title victory with Carlos Moya as his primary coach after long being coached by his uncle Toni Nadal.

The last time that Nadal and Thiem met, last month in the ATP Masters 1000 Mutua Madrid Open, Thiem ended Nadal's 21-match and 50-set winning streaks on clay. Thus, everyone attending Sunday's French Open men's singles final in person as well as those watching on TV around the world all asked the same question: Can Thiem do it again and beat Nadal in the final at Roland Garros? As it happened, the answer was no.

Nadal, 32, who was trying to become the first player – man or woman – to win 11 titles at three different tournaments, including his 11th Couple des Mousquetaires at Roland Garros, was solid in winning 82 percent of his first-serve points. Also, he controlled the net, where he won 16 of 18 opportunities, and broke Thiem five times in 17 chances. Nadal hit 26 winners to offset his 24 unforced errors.

Thiem countered with seven service aces but also committed five double faults. Although he won 67 percent of his first-serve points, he had trouble winning points on his second serve and converted just 34 percent of his chances. Thiem broke Nadal just once in three tries. He hit 34 winners but committed 42 unforced errors. Nadal outpointed Thiem 105-79.

Throughout their two hour and 42 minute match, Nadal was cool under pressure. Playing under humid conditions, the final featured many long, grueling rallies between both Nadal and Thiem. The first seven games lasted 45 minutes – alone – and set a tone for the remainder of the afternoon.

Nadal got off to a fast start by winning the first six points of the match and broke for a quick 2-0 lead. The Spaniard hit many memorable topspin forehand winners, a tribute to his drive and determination. When Thiem was broken at love in the 10th game, it gave Nadal the first set 6-4.

Early on, BBC5 Live's David Law, co-host of The Tennis Podcast, tweeted about Thiem, "Has the basic artillery to live with Nadal. Whether that's sustainable, another matter. Might rattle Rafa, though."

Thiem knew he had to be perfect to beat Nadal for the first time in a best-of-5 set match – and after the first set, he faced the unenviable task of having to win three of the remaining four sets. Plus, in the back of his mind, he must have been aware of this stat: Nadal is 95-0 when he wins the first set in a best-of-5 set match on clay. Make that 96-0 now.

The second set began similar to the first as Nadal jumped out to a 3-0 lead. He exhibited an ability to absorb everything Thiem hit at him and not get down anytime he lost a point. Nadal would lose 79 points during the match, still knowing he would come out ahead at the end. Ahead 4-2, it prompted NBC's outspoken analyst and Hall of Famer John McEnroe to comment about Thiem for his television audience watching back in the U.S., "He's got to find a gear he's never used in order to beat Nadal. ... I just don't think he has it in him." Although Thiem fought valiantly at times, he couldn't regain the break that he surrendered to Nadal early in the set and the Spaniard won the second set 6-3.

Nadal wasted little time in breaking Thiem early to go ahead 2-1 at the start of the third set. It seemed no matter how well Thiem played, Nadal was ridiculously just a little better. The effort Nadal displayed throughout the match – as well as the entire tournament – was unbelievable. Not even a cramped left hand, which Nadal sustained after holding for 3-1, could detour him. After all, he's still a pretty lethal player with just nine functioning fingers.

As Nadal served for the match, ahead 5-2, Thiem fought off four match points before the inevitable happened. On his fifth championship point, Nadal won the game and the set 6-2 – and clinched the match for his 17th Grand Slam championship title, which moved him to within three of Roger Federer's career-leading 20 majors.

Nadal lifted his arms high in the air and raised his head toward the heavens in celebration. La Undécima was all his to savor. Then, he and Thiem arrived at the net together from opposite directions and shared a long embrace before walking off the terre battue.

Give props to Thiem for fighting hard and playing well – even in defeat. He was trying to become the first Austrian since Thomas Muster in 1995 to win the French Open. During an on-court interview, Thiem told McEnroe, "I fought for every ball, but Rafa was just too good. I have to accept it. To play here is one of the toughest challenges in all sports.

"Even when Rafa isn't 100 percent," said Thiem referring to Nadal's hand cramp late in the match, "he's still pretty amazing."

After receiving the Coupe des Mousquetaires trophy from 1968 French Open champion Ken Rosewall, Nadal lifted it three times high above his head, then accepted the thunderous applause in a very prolonged ovation from the French crowd. It brought teams to Nadal's eyes followed a few moments later by a big smile. He clutched the trophy in both arms close to his chest as the Spanish national anthem, "Marcha Real" was played.

After the trophy presentation, Nadal was asked on court by McEnroe to describe the feeling of winning his 11th French Open title. "It's impossible to describe the feeling. This is the tournament I love to win.

"I've received all this love and appreciation from the crowd and I thank everyone. The emotions are always high when you win something you think is impossible."

By winning, Nadal matched Margaret Court's record of claiming 11 singles titles at the same Grand Slam. It also improved his Roland Garros win-loss record to an astonishing 86-2, and he's now won 111 best-of-5 sets clay-court matches and lost only two during his remarkable career.

Nadal also became one of just four players to claim three or more major championships after turning 30, joining Federer, Rosewall and Rod Laver.

En route to his 11th Roland Garros title, Nadal dropped just one set the entire fortnight, against Diego Schwartzman in the first set of their quarterfinal match that started on Wednesday. Nadal finished by winning nine consecutive sets, which included three in his quarterfinal win over Schwartzman, three in his semifinal win over Juan Martín del Potro, and three against Thiem in the final. Nadal improved his win-loss record to 30-2 this season, and has won his last 12 matches – all on clay.

Afterward, Nadal told the media gathered for his final press conference that he believes there is room for him to improve. He said, "You can always improve something, and I think that everyone can improve. There is no limit. You never know where is the limit. If you don't have the will to improve, you don't understand the sport, because the sport is always about improving. That's the meaning of sport. It's playing with the dream of doing something better than what you're doing before. ... When you're not working with passion of doing something better, I think that sports will lose its sense."

Now, it's on to the grass-court season for Nadal with his No. 1 ranking secured for now and the start of the Wimbledon fortnight just three weeks away.

Cover photo: Courtesy of Associated Press.
Highlight video: Courtesy of YouTube.com.

The 2018 French Open: Creating beautiful poster art through capturing the simple bounce of a tennis ball

Roland Garros and modern art have enjoyed a long, steady and tasteful relationship. It's a very French thing. In a sport where a player's instinct and spontaneous movement creates beautiful art out of work during every rally – especially on a terre battue canvas – the annual French Open poster is seen as a colorful and fascinating part of the Roland Garros experience. 

Each year since 1980, the grounds at Roland Garros in the 16th arrondissement of Paris have displayed bright and imaginative posters that truly embody the spirit and excitement of the French Open. After all, if tennis is seen as art – and why not? – then, its athletes are truly artists who have traded paint brushes for tennis rackets.

In an earlier era, Les Quatre Mousquetaires (Jacques Brugnon, Jean Borotra, Henri Cochet and René Lacoste) were prestigious French tennis players who dominated the sport in the second half of the 1920s and early '30s and were known for their dashing grace and athleticism. They became national icons in France – their success in winning the 1927 Davis Cup against the United States helped lead to the building of the Roland Garros venue at Porte d'Auteuil – and the French Open men's championship trophy was named the Coupe des Mousquetaires in honor of the quartet. 

Today, one need only think of World No. 1 Rafael Nadal, the undisputed king of clay, whose Picasso-like artistry as he glides across Court Philippe Chatrier – brushing his racquet against a tennis ball – is truly a bold and dynamic thing to admire. He's won 10 French Open singles titles, most of any athlete – male or female – which has endeared him to the French and tennis fans worldwide.

The quintessential Björn Borg's hair
as captured by Eduardo Arroyo in 1981.

Among the artists who have created French Open poster art since its inception are: Eduardo Arroyo, whose 1981 Pop Art image of Björn Borg's hair captured a quintessential quality of 1980s tennis; Joan Miró, one the most prominent influences on the development of both Surrealism and 20th-century art, who created the 1991 poster; documentary filmmaker and painter Jean-Michel Meurice, whose 1996 poster was inspired by the red clay and white lines of the Roland Garros courts; jazz drummer and composer Daniel Humair, who conveyed a musical rhythm to capture the pulse of the French Open in his 2004 poster; and Du Zhenjun, who in 2015 became the first Chinese artist selected to design a French Open poster. His training in traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy is reflected in his work.

Jazz drummer and composer Daniel Humair
conveyed a musical rhythm to capture
the pulse of the French Open in 2004.

For this year's French Open, Paris-born Fabienne Verdier was commissioned to create the poster for the 2018 tournament, which begins Sunday. Born in 1962, Verdier is the fourth woman selected to design the official Roland Garros poster, following in the footsteps of Jane Hammond (2003), Kate Shepherd (2007) and Nalini Malani (2010). She's also the first French artist, too. 

"For me, Roland Garros evokes those first warm days that herald the arrival of summer in Paris, when the intense light of May and June makes the ochre day sparkle," said Verdier, in an interview recently posted on French Open website rolandgarros.com. "As the sun races across the sky, the courts turn from amber to tobacco, from saffron to sepia, from ochre to red, from sienna to brown. During every rally, the balls collect this multicolored dust and, like comets, leave enchanting lines of energy in their wake."

In creating the 2018 French Open poster, Verdier chose to focus on the simple bounce of a tennis ball. In a split-second moment, she perfectly captures "that moment of truth in which the ball, after hitting the clay, sets off on one of many possible trajectories. The ball's movement gives off incredible energy."

Verdier describes her abstract impression this way: "I tried to portray the lightning speed of the player's movements. The energy that they transmit to the ball in a movement full of spontaneity, vitality, power, precision and slide. And I imagined one of those unexpected bounces that take the opponent by surprise and force them, in the following rally, to surpass themselves once again in order to get one step closer to victory in Paris."

To view the entire collection of French Open art posters: www.rolandgarros.com
Fabienne Verdier video courtesy of YouTube.com
French Open poster art courtesy of www.rolandgarros.com