Rafael Nadal made history on Sunday with a 10th Monte Carlo title, but the Spanish star refused to entertain thoughts of adding a 10th French Open to his 14-title Grand Slam collection.
Spain’s 30-year-old king of clay claimed his 50th trophy on his favorite surface, his 70th overall and his first title in almost a year as he beat compatriot Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-1, 6-3 with a clinical winning effort which took just 76 minutes.
Nadal’s next target is his home event in Barcelona, where he has won the title nine times.
Photo: EPA
He has the same number at Roland Garros and could crack the 10 barrier in Paris under the right circumstances, but he is keeping his goals in perspective and not looking too far ahead.
“The next step is not Roland Garros, the next step is Barcelona,” Nadal said. “I never take Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Rome, Madrid like a preparation for any other tournament. These tournaments are so important. That’s the real thing. Then Roland Garros arrives later. It is another important event for me.”
“Next week, I am playing another very important event for me at home and I’m excited about that. Then I going to keep playing at home in Madrid,” he said.
Nadal won eight Monte Carlo titles in a row from 2005 to 2012, but then lost to Novak Djokovic in the 2013 final.
His 50 clay-court titles breaks the record he shared with Guillermo Vilas since April last year when he lifted his ninth trophy in Barcelona.
“This is really unbelievable,” Nadal said. “To win 10 times in such an important event like Monte Carlo is something difficult to describe. Every year it’s been a different feeling. At the same time it is always a unique moment every time I have this trophy with me.”
“I feel lucky to keep playing tennis, being healthy all those years, to compete in one of the most beautiful events of the year, without a doubt,” he said. “I’m very happy to win another one. For me is a very important day in my career.”
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
MLB on Friday announced a formal investigation into the scandal swirling around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter amid charges that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar was the victim of “massive theft.” The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and close friend, after Ohtani’s representatives alleged that the Japanese two-way star had been the victim of theft, which was reported to involve millions of dollars and link Mizuhara to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media,” MLB