Nadal’s growth in stature as the greatest clay wizard of all time is enthralling to watch. How a player who puts so much pressure on his body, who goes that extra bit for every point, who strains himself to the limit is able to dominate the circuit at this age is incomprehensible. Th genius of the man is so much that sometimes all you can do is laugh it off. He turns into an artist on that clay court, drawing his portrait, perfectioning it, sometimes with hard strokes, sometimes with gentleness but with always with a definitive purpose; a purpose to make it the greatest art work of all time.
Yesterday was no different. Nadal took the court in his usual manner, the end to end court coverage was there, the powerful forehands made an appearance every now and then and the improved backhand drive never left his side. One of the greatest sights in sport is to see Nadal withering around the court, blazing from corner to corner to keep the ball in play, and then pouncing on that iota of opportunity that only he seems to recognise. All of that was on display last night, and while Thiem did put up a great fight, it was always going to be in vain with Nadal in such supreme touch.
Nadal just about edged through in the first set, stepping up to the plate in crucial moments, to win 10-8 in the tie break. That kind of broke Thiem’s spirit and he just couldn’t muster a comeback after that.
Nadal is now tied with Novaj Djokovic for the most number of ATP 1000 Masters titles(30).
Speaking to Television Espanola, Nadal said that he was glad to win against a player who would be competing for the top ranks in the next 5-10 years. He also stressed on the fact that he is trying to enjoy his time on the circuit, as he never knows when it might come to an end.
This is how the world reacted:
Nadal "This is a very emotional period of the season. I really enjoy these tournaments. I just try to go for all of them. I try to compete."
— Gaspar Ribeiro Lança (@gasparlanca) May 14, 2017
Think this bloke might be as good as he ever was.
5th Madrid title for Nadal to go with his 10 Monte Carlo and 10 Barcelona titles. pic.twitter.com/rHEoHiRBi2
— David Law (@DavidLawTennis) May 14, 2017
GRACIAS Madrid por todo!! / THANK YOU for everything Madrid! pic.twitter.com/Y4PvHZEPoo
— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) May 14, 2017
Celebrando con el equipo!! / Celebrating with the team!! #MadridOpen pic.twitter.com/r12wF6IPVq
— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) May 14, 2017
Nadal: "Tomorrow I'll wake up w/ joy, and I will want to do things even better. That's the joy that keeps you going, that keeps you alive."
— Gaspar Ribeiro Lança (@gasparlanca) May 14, 2017
Nadal not just winning on clay, which is not news. His level is exceptional: clutch serves, deft drop shots, deep groundies, smart tactics
— Christopher Clarey (@christophclarey) May 14, 2017
https://twitter.com/Eurosport_UK/status/863824770563010561
In Madrid, many top athletes came to watch Rafa Nadal play live. The attraction of one athlete!!
— aRNi (@Arni_Abd) May 15, 2017
More reactions on the next page:
https://twitter.com/gasparlanca/status/863825321677684736
Dominance unmatched.
Three successive, emphatic title victories speak for themselves.@RafaelNadal pic.twitter.com/eJmVskhFoS— NikeCourt (@Nikecourt) May 14, 2017
https://twitter.com/babolat/status/863824888636862470
https://twitter.com/MutuaMadridOpen/status/863827540263264257
https://twitter.com/caro_marin2/status/863850250343198720
https://twitter.com/cbfowler/status/863826516383342592
https://twitter.com/antoniobanderas/status/863826445973499911
Guess @rogerfederer is the only one who can beat @RafaelNadal at the moment…can he do it on clay though???
— Daniel (@Daniie_Sk) May 15, 2017
https://twitter.com/BenRothenberg/status/863832501869043714
