Rafael Nadal poses with the Mousquetaires Cup for the 12th time © AFP / Philippe LOPEZ
PARIS, France, Jun 9 – French Open day 15 — at a glance:
Headlines
+ Nadal wins record 12th Roland Garros title
+ 18th major puts Nadal two behind Federer on all-time list
+ Nadal tells Thiem, ‘you’ll win it one day’
+ ‘He stepped right on me,’ says runner-up Thiem
Results (x denotes seeding)
Men’s final
Rafael Nadal (ESP x2) bt Dominic Thiem (AUT x4) 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1
Women’s doubles final
Kristina Mladenovic/Timea Babos (FRA/HUN x2) bt Duan Yingying/Zheng Saisai (CHN/CHN) 6-2, 6-3
Sidelines
Mladenovic, Babos take doubles crown
— Kristina Mladenovic and Timea Babos won their second Grand Slam women’s doubles title as a team with a 6-2, 6-3 win over China’s Duan Yingying and Zheng Saisai.
Lip service: Kristina Mladenovic (right) and Timea Babos with the women’s doubles trophy © AFP / Martin BUREAU
The French/Hungarian pair won the 2018 Australian Open title together while Mladenovic had won Roland Garros in 2016 with compatriot Caroline Garcia.
Overbooking.com
— French Open tournament director Guy Forget says one of the solutions to filling the empty seats which plagued Roland Garros this year is to overbook.
“We are trying, as of next year, to find new means to fill up these boxes that are empty sometimes,” said Forget.
“Economically speaking, we cannot refuse these partners and sometimes these people who pay a more expensive ticket, who consume tennis in a different way as in the past and have difficulty in spending eight to nine hours sitting on the chair.
“That’s why we will try the sort of overbooking as in the hotels or in the airline companies in order to have some of their clients in the first part, and then a second batch of people coming afterwards following lunch.”
Big in China
— Forget also said that the popularity of the tournament is growing in China where there were “63 million watching Roland Garros at a single minute,” he said.
“It shows the potential of the Chinese audience.”
Who’s saying what
“If I wanted to lose to someone it would be you because you deserve it. Well done and keep going — you will win this for sure.”
— Rafael Nadal on Dominic Thiem
“Rafa, well done. You are an amazing champion and a legend in our sport.”
— Thiem on Nadal.
“The last time he missed a volley was seven years ago!”
— Thiem on Nadal’s volleying abilities.
“It’s boosting me to come back the next day after a great match by Domi yesterday. I wanted to emulate him today. But obviously, emotionally, the most difficult thing is coming now for me.”
— Kristina Mladenovic after winning the women’s doubles title on the pressure of watching boyfriend Dominic Thiem in the semi-finals on Saturday and then the final on Sunday.
“A tennis tournament is not opera.”
— French tennis federation president Bernard Giudicelli on the problem of empty seats courtside throughout the tournament.
“He’s already better than I ever was.”
— Thomas Muster, the 1995 champion, on Austrian compatriot Dominic Thiem
“Still hearing the chants French open crowds, thank you. I will be forever grateful for your incredible support this year Merci!”
— Roger Federer on Twitter
