Nadal Wins 200th Career Grand Slam Match at French Open

Rafael Nadal has reached another milestone…

With his second-round victory over Facundo Bagnis at the French Open on Thursday, the 29-year-old became the eighth man in history to win 200 matches at Grand Slam tournaments. He’s the first Latino player to make the list.

Rafael Nadal

Nadal fell behind 2-0 against the 99th-ranked Bagnis of Argentina, then cleaned up his act and took 14 of the next 15 games Thursday en route to winning 6-3, 6-0, 6-3.

A record nine-time champion at Roland Garros, Nadal has won 200 of 230 matches in majors, a winning percentage of .870.

Only seven other men have earned that many victories at Grand Slam tournaments; Roger Federer, who is missing from this year’s French Open because of injury, holds the record of 302.

The fourth-seeded Nadal has 14 Grand Slam titles — tied with Pete Sampras for second most behind Federer’s 17 — including a record nine at Roland Garros.

“I think this year I played better than last year,” said Nadal, who lost to Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals last year, ending his 39-match winning streak at Roland Garros. “I’ve been able to play some really good matches against the best players in the world. I’m very happy to be competitive again.”

This season, Nadal has been in better form in the buildup to the French Open, winning titles in Monte Carlo and Barcelona.

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