'Rafael Nadal can't be in the same sentence with us; he is incomparable' says..

Sergi Bruguera claimed two Roland Garros titles in 1993 and 1994, accomplishing his childhood dream and writing history books as only the sixth multiple champion in Paris in the Open era. In the recent interview, Bruguera said he was ready to retire already after the first Roland Garros title, proving how much it meant to him. The Spaniard defended the crown a year later, and it was an incredible feeling for him after joining the list of notable Parisian champions. Speaking about Rafael Nadal and his 13 Roland Garros trophies, Bruguera said that we couldn't compare that record with anything else, not even putting Nadal in the same sentence with other French capital winners. Rafa made a debut at Roland Garros in 2005 and went all the way to claim the title a couple of days after turning 19. The Spaniard became the player to beat in Paris for the next decade, suffering one defeat in 2009 against Robin Soderling and claiming five straight titles in the following years!

The winner of nine out of the previous ten Roland Garros events couldn't extend his streak in 2015 and 2016, suffering a loss to Novak Djokovic and withdrawing a year later to lose his most favorite trophy. From 2017, Nadal was back at his best in his kingdom, winning four straight titles and losing only three sets in the previous 28 Parisian encounters! Nadal's 13 Roland Garros victory came last October, proving his greatness under challenging conditions and adding the 20th Major trophy to his name. Heading to Paris with only three matches in his legs since the end of February, Rafa didn't need much time to find the form, winning the first four clashes after losing only 23 games and entering the quarter-final with motivation.

Sergi Bruguera praised his compatriot Rafael Nadal.

Jannik Sinner was a break up in the opening two sets against Nadal before the Spaniard prevailed 7-6, 6-4, 6-1 in under three hours. In the semis, Rafa had to dig deep against Diego Schwartzman, avenging the Rome defeat and scoring a 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 triumph to advance into the title clash. Novak Djokovic stood between Rafa and his 13th Roland Garros crown and couldn't do much to stop the Spaniard. Nadal beat a great rival 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 in two hours and 41 minutes, dominating sets one and two and toppling Novak in the closing stages of the third to lift the crown and secure his 100th Parisian victory from 102 matches! 

"Back in the early 90s, it was unthinkable for me to win two Roland Garros crowns. With one, I would have already finished my career. Only seven or eight players had won two Roland Garros titles; it was an extraordinary thing. What Rafa has done at Roland Garros is incomparable; we can't go in the same sentence with him," Sergi Bruguera said.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3suttEB