Nadal turns it up to 11

Rafael Nadal hailed his 11th French Open title as "just incredible" after he demolished Austria's Dominic Thiem 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 despite a worrying injury scare in the closing stages of Sunday's final.

The 32-year-old world number one now has 17 Grand Slam titles, just three behind great rival Roger Federer. Nadal endured a nervy conclusion to the final, however, when he needed treatment in the fourth game of the third set for a finger injury before sealing victory on a fifth match point when Thiem fired a backhand long.

"It's really just incredible. I played a great match against a great player," said Nadal. "I had a tough moment in the third set with cramps in my hand. I was very scared but that's sport -- it was very humid.

"To win 11 times here -- it's fantastic and not something I ever dreamed of. It is always my dream to win this trophy, you all know how important the tournament is to me. So I hope to see you all again next year."

Nadal joins Australia's Margaret Court as the only player to win 11 titles at the same major. Victory also took Nadal's record at Roland Garros to 86 wins and just two losses.

For Thiem, playing in his first Slam final, it was a tremendous letdown for the only man to have beaten the Spaniard on clay in the last two years.

"Rafa, this is one of the most outstanding things an athlete has achieved in any sport," said the seventh seed. "It's amazing, bravo.

"I saw you win this in 2005 when I was just 11 years old. But I never dreamed of getting the chance to play the final here."

With a celebrity audience -- including French footballing legend Zinedine Zidane -- watching, Nadal flew out of the blocks. He reeled off the first six points for a 2-0 lead before Thiem settled and repaired the damage for 2-2.

Despite matching Nadal forehand for forehand, Thiem was undone in the 10th game when three errors handed Nadal the opening set.

Bizarrely, Nadal halted playing in the fourth game complaining of pain in his left hand and stretching his middle finger.  He still won the game anyway before summoning the doctor and trainer courtside.

RAMPANT RAFA

♦ Nadal won his 11th French Open, tying Margaret Court's all-time record of most singles titles won at a single Grand Slam.

♦ Nadal maintains his record of never having lost the tournament after making the semifinals and his record of never having lost a French Open final.

♦ Since his first French Open in 2005, Nadal has only lost two matches -- in 2009 and 2016. He has won the trophy on the 11 other occasions.

♦ Nadal won 21 clay-court matches Nadal between last year's French Open and this year's Madrid Open, which included 50 consecutive sets -- the longest set streak on a surface in ATP history.