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This Day In Sports…June 9, 2019:

Rafael Nadal wins his 81st consecutive match on clay, the longest streak on one surface by any player in tennis history. More significantly, “Rafa” won the French Open with a four-set triumph over Austria’s Dominic Thiem in a rematch of the previous year’s final. It was Nadal’s 18^th major title, second only at the time to Roger Federer’s 20, with 12 of them coming in Stade Roland-Garros. In the process, Nadal broke Margaret Court’s record for most career victories in one major (Court won the Australian Open 11 times).

Nadal took the French Open again the following year and captured his final championship on the famed red clay in 2022. The Spaniard won his first major championship at the French Open in 2005 at the age of 19. He ended up with a staggering 14 titles in Paris among his 22 career crowns in majors. In 2010, Nadal became the first player to win majors on three different surfaces, but he was clearly the “King of Clay.” He ultimately won over French fans with his sportsmanship and grace—to the point that in 2021 a statue of Nadal was unveiled outside Roland-Garros in 2021.

Nadal announced his retirement from tennis last October and finished his career last November, playing for Spain in the Davis Cup. But he reserved his official sendoff for the audience that appreciated him most in a special ceremony eight days ago at the French Open. He was joined on the red clay by his three fiercest rivals—and friends—Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray. It was there that Nadal was able to let it all hang out as he laughed, cried and took in the roar of the standing-room-only crowd of 15,000. The message: “Merci Rafa.”

To many, it felt like the torch had already been passed to countryman Carlos Alcaraz, but Sunday’s classic final at the French Open made it real. Alcaraz was down 5-3 in the fourth set and was on the ropes, facing three championship match points against Italy’s Jannik Sinner. Alcaraz fought off all three and extended the match to a fifth set, which went to a tiebreaker. It was there that Alcaraz dominated Sinner, winning 10-3 to finish the longest French Open final of the Open era at five hours and 29 minutes. It was Alcaraz’s second straight title at Roland Garros.

(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra. He also anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK and one on News/Talk KBOI. His Scott Slant column runs every Wednesday.) 

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