Nadal Wins 11th French Open Title By Beating Thiem in 3 Sets
Spain's Rafael Nadal plays a forehand return to Austria's Dominic Thiem during their men's singles final match on day fifteen of The Roland Garros 2018 French Open tennis tournament in Paris on June 10, 2018. (
Photographer: Christophe Simon/AFP via Getty Images
This article is for subscribers only.
Paris (AP) -- In full control of the French Open final, a rather familiar position for him, Rafael Nadal suddenly was worried.
He led by two sets plus a break early in the third, when the middle finger on his racket-wielding left hand was cramping so badly he couldn't straighten it. After serving a fault, Nadal took the unusual step of heading to the sideline in the middle of a game.