Paris — If Benjamin Franklin were alive, he would have to amend his belief that death and taxes are life’s only certainties and add a third — Rafael Nadal winning the French Open. The Spaniard secured an 11th title at Roland Garros on Sunday with a 6-4 6-3 6-2 demolition of Dominic Thiem. He now has 86 match wins on Paris’s famous crushed red brick against just two defeats in 13 years. Juan Martin del Potro, who was run ragged by the world No1 in the semifinals, was right to state that it is almost impossible to beat Nadal on clay. The 32-year-old world No1 now has 17 Grand Slam titles, just three behind great rival Roger Federer. In a nervy moment, Nadal needed treatment in the fourth game of the third set for a finger injury before sealing victory on a fifth match point when Thiem fired a backhand long. "It’s really incredible. I played a great match against a great player," Nadal said. "I had a tough moment in the third set with cramps in my hand. I was very scared but that’s spo...
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