‘King of clay’ Rafael Nadal claims his 10th Barcelona Open victory
Spanish great underlines his status as French Open favourite with romp past Austrian Thiem
Rafael Nadal hailed a “dream start” to his clay-court season after romping to his 10th Barcelona Open on Sunday with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Austria’s Dominic Thiem.
The Spaniard also claimed his 10th title at the Monte Carlo Masters last week as he gears up for to go for his 10th French Open next month.
“It is two consecutive weeks winning, in Monte Carlo and here, two special tournaments for me, it is a dream start on clay,” said Nadal.
“It means a lot for me to reach number 10 here in Barcelona, in front of the people of my club, I am very happy and emotional.”
The 14-time grand slam champion also looks like the man to beat at Roland Garros after winning on a Barcelona court named after him and where he didn’t drop a set all week.
“I thank the club and its members for putting my name on this court. It means a lot to me,” said Nadal.