Rafael Nadal Defeats Stan Wawrinka to Win French Open 2017 Men's Final

The King of Clay has regained his throne at Roland Garros.

Rafael Nadal scored an emphatic 6-2, 6-3, 6-1 victory over Stan Wawrinka on Sunday to win the 2017 French Open men's championship in Paris.

It's the 31-year-old Spaniard's 10th title in the event—two more than any other player in history—and his 15th major tournament triumph overall. The longtime fan favorite also ended a Grand Slam drought that dated to the 2014 French Open.
There were moments over the past three years when it was fair to wonder whether Nadal, whose success at Roland Garros was among the most sure things in sports, might be done winning majors.

Chronic knee issues, a problematic wrist and the cumulative toll of more than a decade grinding it out as a top contender on the ATP Tour left him as an also-ran for a while.

Starting with the 2015 Wimbledon Championships, he went six straight Grand Slam events without advancing beyond the fourth round. In that stretch, he missed last year's trip to the All England Club because of a wrist injury that had caused him to withdraw from the French Open before Round 3.

Last December, Nadal told Fatima Kdouh of the Daily Telegraph he never considered retirement during the myriad setbacks but that he counted himself among those unsure another major title would arrive.

"I don't know ... I never know if I'm going to win another grand slam," he said. "Not one time in my career ... when I won the first or when I won the second ... or when I win No. 9 or 10, I didn't know and today is still the same situation.

"I don't know if I have the chance to win No. 15, but I'm going to fight for it."

Now, after he reached the Australian Open final and cruised through the French Open draw without dropping a single set, those concerns seem like a distant memory.

"The feeling that I have here is impossible to describe, impossible to compare to other places," Nadal said after the match, via Sandra Harwitt of USA Today. "The adrenaline and nerves I feel on this court I can't describe. This is the most important event in my career, without a doubt."
Wawrinka was no match for the clay-court master Sunday. The Swiss star captured the 2015 Roland Garros title with a victory over Novak Djokovic, who had beat Nadal in the quarterfinals. Wawrinka rarely threatened the fourth-ranked player in the world in his hunt for a second championship in Paris, though.

Nadal put together a nearly flawless performance. He earned 83.3 percent of the points on his first serve and 65.2 percent on his second serve. He also won 18 of 20 points when he came to the net and finished with 27 winners compared to 12 unforced errors.

Quite simply, with the best clay-court player in history playing like that, Wawrinka never stood a chance.

Mark Masters of TSN provided a note about Grand Slam title No. 15 for the Spanish sensation:
It's virtually impossible to quantify Nadal's greatness on the surface because there's been nothing like it. His style of play blends uniquely with what it takes to win on the red clay of Roland Garros, which has created a perfect storm 10 times over the last 13 years.

Moving forward, if Nadal can maintain his health throughout the busy summer schedule, it would significantly raise his chances of being able to create a second act in his already illustrious career.