Rafael Nadal shares superb French Open picture – was this an omen for Dominic Thiem win?

On Sunday, Nadal rewrote the history books as he won a record-extending 12th Coupe des Mousquetaires trophy after beating Dominic Thiem.

The win further cemented his place as the greatest clay-court player of all time and moved him closer to Roger Federer in the all-time Grand Slam titles list.

But despite his dominance on the clay, Nadal still looks for omens where he can find them.

And in his latest picture on Instagram, the 33-year-old posted an image of a seat number.

The significance is of number is that it was the number 12 and in the caption, Nadal wrote: “The picture that had to wait 15 days since we took it.

“My seat this 2019 in @rolandgarros.”

Before he began his French Open campaign, Nadal’s form was under the highest scrutiny in years.

Injury and a nine-month trophy drought contributed to those doubts about Nadal but he proved the critics wrong in emphatic style.

And speaking in an interview with the ATP, Nadal revealed his pride at how he fought through those struggles.

“I’m pleased to have stuck to the promise I made myself going into the season, to give it my all, to appreciate the little improvements and to just be thankful for the opportunity to compete day in and day out,” he said.

“From that time in Barcelona through now, I’ve steadily improved. The self-evaluation has paid off.

“I made lots of small but important steps along the way.

“I’ve done almost nothing wrong. I wasn’t playing out-of-this-world tennis, but I have come through at important moments. My backhand has been on target, and my forehand is operating at a very high level.

“Just the fact that I’ve been able to play five tournaments in a row without withdrawing once is satisfying.

“I’ve never said it before, but going a stretch like that gives me confidence that my body can hold up under pressure.

“I can rely on my body to endure what I put it through, even if it’s something as simple as running down shots or twisting and turning, without the fear of something going wrong.”

source: express.co.uk