The saint of suffering is in the final. He swatted aside Matteo Berrettini in four sets and then shed a tear. Such valiant effort demanded naked emotion. No hurt foot, no rival, no circumstance has held him back, but then it's written into his being. He can't, he said, go against his competitive spirit because "it's in my personal DNA".
Rafael Nadal evidently has a simple one-word anthem. "More". Whatever the day, whatever the challenge, he'll offer you a greater degree of himself.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Read the full story and more at $9.90/month
Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month
ST One Digital
$9.90/month
No contract
ST app access on 1 mobile device
Unlock these benefits
All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com
Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device
E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you
