I remember when people were claiming that Sampras' record of 14 GS titles would never be bettered in our lifetime. Now Rafa has that many in one tournament.
Rafa has as many RG titles as Sampras does GS titles. Let that sink in.
Ironically, Rafa now has as many majors from that one grand slam Sampras never won as Pistol Pete has from all combined. But that's not even the most amazing stat about the man.
The one overlooked stat is that he has been going on his seventeenth straight year in top ten. He still hadn't celebrated his nineteenth birthday by the time he cracked the top ten in 2005 which means if he can stay in for another two years, he will have spent a half of his life in top ten! That's just... dumb.
Another masterclass.
Nadal on clay is the most dominant version of any athlete in any sport ever. Incredible what he just achieved despite his injury.
I will nitpick a bit, but I would suggest the RG Nadal is the most dominant version of any athlete in any sport ever. His overall clay winning pct. is between 91 and 92, which, while outstanding, may still come short of making him the undisputed most dominant jock ever when measured against all the greats across all the sports. With the exception of his 05 -- 07 unbeaten run, he was always somewhat beatable, although it usually required a hell of an effort even for the best of the best.
It's his 97 winning pct. at Roland Garros that seals the deal. He still remains unbeaten in the final of perhaps the most mentally and physically challenging tennis tournament -- after all those years. It's incredible. If he somehow snatches the one played in 2024 (or later), he will be twice as old winning the last one as he was getting the first one. Even remaining in competition for something like that is ridiculous.