The 24-year-old Austrian was playing in his first Grand Slam final, and although he pushed Nadal at times, he fell to an ultimately one-sided 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 defeat. "Physically I enjoyed more watching him on the couch," smiled Thiem, who was 11 years old when Nadal won his first French Open in 2005. Thiem is the only player to have beaten Nadal on clay in the last two years after wins in Madrid this year and Rome in 2017. "He was playing very well, I think, and there is a reason why he won 11 times here," Thiem added. "But if you win a Grand Slam tournament 11 times, one single one, then this is just very exceptional and amazing.

Source: The Nation Bangkok June 10, 2018 18:00 UTC