Spain’s Rafael Nadal made history by winning a record 12th French Open title and 18th Grand Slam title with victory over Dominic Thiem in the Paris final.

The Spaniard won for the third straight year at Roland Garros with a 6-3 5-7 6-1 6-1 victory in a high-quality final.No other tennis player has won 12 titles in a single major.Nadal is now just two slams away from matching Federer’s record of 20 Grand Slams.

            Nadal is only player in history to win the same Grand Slam on 12 occasions .Margaret Court, who won 11 Australian Open titles between 1960 and 1973.Margaret Court’s 11 titles at the Australian Open are the overall record, but seven of those came when it was an amateur event called the Australian Championships.

FACTS AND FIGURES

The French Open is played on clay, which owes its red colour to the crushed brick which forms the upper layer of the surface. There are three layers in all – one of limestone, one of clinker and one of stone – as well as drainage pipes. Clay is the slowest of surfaces. Along with the Australian Open, Wimbledon and the US Open, the French Open is one of the four historic tennis tournaments which make up the legendary Grand Slam.

The four tournaments all being played on different surfaces: Plexi cushion in Australia, clay at Roland Garros, grass at Wimbledon and Decoturf at the US Open. The Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open are the four Grand Slam tournaments. The Grand Slam itinerary consists of the Australian Open in mid January, the French Open in May/June, Wimbledon in June/July, and the US Open in August/September.