"It doesn't fit in my head that someone has won the Roland Garros title 14 times" - Paquito Navarro on Rafael Nadal
With his triumph in Paris last month, Rafael Nadal extended his already unbelievable record at the French Open to 14 titles. The next man on the list in the Open Era is Sweden's Bjorn Born with 6 Roland Garros trophies.
In the process, the 36-year-old Mallorcan also extended his Grand Slam title lead over his biggest rivals Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. While Nadal jumped to 22, Djokovic won his 21st Major at Wimbledon while Federer remains on 20.
At this year's French Open, Nadal was not expected to go all the way. According to him, it was his career's worst preparation before arriving in Paris. For the first time since 2004, the Spaniard entered the tournament without a single ATP clay-court title.
Less than a couple of weeks before his first match at the Major, he had limped off the court in Rome because of a long-standing foot injury.
This moment never gets old 🏆
All of Nadal's 14 French Open titles through the ages: https://t.co/4OQsB5TNon
In a recent press conference, Spain's professional padel player Paquito Navarro expressed his astonishment at Nadal's achievement at Roland Garros.
"I see impossible what Rafa Nadal has done. It doesn't fit in my head that someone has won the Roland Garros title 14 times and the ones that remain because it seems that each time is the last and it's not. All the admiration in the world. Rafa is a benchmark, an idol, and now stepping on this track, what he imposes and what makes you tense to play with the entire stands in Paris, gives him even more merit. He has achieved an impossible," Navarro said.
Rafael Nadal recovering from injury after Wimbledon exit
Rafael Nadal won the first two Grand Slam tournaments of the year - the Australian Open and the French Open, while an abdominal muscle tear ended Nadal's campaign for a third Wimbledon title.
During his quarterfinal clash against Taylor Fritz, the Spaniard's injury aggravated, forcing him to request a medical timeout in the second set. The pain resulted in him slowing down and dropping his serve speed by 15 to 20 mph.
We're sad to see it end this way, @RafaelNadal
Thank you for another year of unforgettable moments at The Championships
#Wimbledon https://t.co/XadiEVxaWF
However, Nadal fought till the end and eventually beat the American 3-6, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(4) in four hours and 20 minutes. Tests later revealed a seven millimeter abdominal muscle tear, which forced him to withdraw from SW19 the following day.