A PERSON
Rafael Nadal. The third consecutive victory in Barcelona is a repetition of the achievement of Mats Wilander (1982-84). It is unfortunate that Nadal did not manage to win the tournament as a couple. With his new partner Bartolome Salva-Vidal, Rafael famously reached the final, beating the first and third “seeded” pairs of the tournament and not losing without a set. But fate decided to protect Nadal from the first double title in his career to save his teeth - the Spaniard is too eager to bite into every prize won at photo shoots.
MATCH
Final in Barcelona: Guillermo Cañas - Rafael Nadal. In fact, all the Nadal matches in Barcelona are worthy of being here. Or unworthy - Rafa is so strong that the intrigue somehow by itself was excluded from this equation. The final match, in which Rafa again did not lose a set, is of a little more interest only because Guillermo Cañas participated in it. After Federer’s defeat in Monte Carlo, Cañas seemed the only one able to interrupt the victorious march of the dirt king. However, Guillermo was able to identify resistance only at the beginning of the first set - 4 starting games lasted 23 minutes. And these 23 minutes became the decoration of the entire dirt season. But then the fatigue after the prolonged semi-final at Kanyasa nevertheless made itself felt - 6: 3, 6: 4.
RECORDS
The winning streak of Rafael Nadal continues - 72 matches already. Half of the dirt track has been completed, two more tournaments remain - Rome and Roland Garros, and this half will probably be harder than the first. I would like to wish Rafael good luck, if only out of love for round numbers. If Nadal manages to defend the remaining 2 titles, he will bring the series to 85 matches, and then next year we have the right to count on the anniversary 100th match. That will be hype. But that is not all. After Barcelona, the ratio of won and lost soil finals during his career at Nadal is now 15: 0. And the ratio of all finals for a career is now 20 to 3, which in percentage terms is even better than Federer. Impressive.
RATING
In the final, Rafa won the 27th victory of the season, which is the best indicator in the whole round. Novak Djokovic has one less victory. Therefore, it is not surprising that on Monday, Rafael will single-handedly lead the ATP champion race for the first time in his career. So far, the margin from Roger Federer is small - only 19 points, but in the near future he, I think, will increase a little more.
THE WORDS
Rafa about Roger: “It's hard to become real friends, because I don't speak English well, and he speaks poor Spanish, but of all the players on the tour who don't speak Spanish, I have the best relationship with him.” You can’t refuse Nadal’s sense of humor, that's for sure.
Roger on Rafa: “Has he become stronger than a year ago? Hardly. He just keeps the level. " Although these changes are not striking, Nadal still added a little, at least he began to go to the net more often, although of course you cannot name him all-court player. Let's hope that at Wimbledon, Rafa will present new trump cards, and Roger will change his mind.
NUMERAL
Rafael Nadal has already won the 20th tournament. In the ranking of players who have obtained more than other titles, Rafael will leave 36th place, which he had previously shared with fellow countryman Carlos Moya, and rise to 34th - to Brad Gilbert and Gustavo Cuerten. After defending the title in Rome, Nadal is equal in number of titles to Andy Roddick. And in case of victory at Roland Garros will make the company Goran Ivanishevich. Note: at the age of 20, Roger Federer had only 3 titles on his account.
Ksenia VITRYAK