Stan Wawrinka said Rafael Nadal was back at the peak of his powers after storming to an incredible 10th French Open title on Sunday.<\/b>
\nPARIS, France \u2014 Stan Wawrinka said Rafael Nadal was back at the peak of his powers after storming to an incredible 10th French Open title on Sunday.
Swiss third seed Wawrinka was trying to win his second Roland Garros title in three years but was blown away by Nadal 6-2,6-3,6-1.
\u201cFor sure he\u2019s playing the best he\u2019s ever played. That\u2019s for sure. But not only here, \u201d said Wawrinka, who lost for the first time in four Grand Slam finals.
\u201cI think since the beginning of the year, you can see he\u2019s playing more aggressive, staying more close from the line.
\u201cBut that\u2019s clearly his best he ever play. That\u2019s why he\u2019s winning so much again.\u201d
Wawrinka admitted the daunting mental challenge of facing Nadal on his favorite surface contributed heavily to the crushing defeat.
\u201cHe\u2019s playing his best level on clay. Five-set match, you know, it\u2019s going to be a really tough challenge when you play against him, \u201d said the Swiss.
\u201cI didn\u2019 t play my best tennis for sure, I was a little bit hesitant with my selection of shots.
\u201cWhen you play against Rafa, if you hesitate, it\u2019s no good. If you hesitate for half a second, it\u2019s too late. You will be late.
\u201cPhysically I felt good, but mentally it was tough.\u201d
Wawrinka arrived in Paris fresh off winning a clay court title in Geneva and knocked out world number one Andy Murray in a five-set thriller in the semi-finals.
But the 32-year-old, the oldest Roland Garros finalist in 44 years, had no answers as Nadal eclipsed Pete Sampras on the all-time list of major champions with 15 titles.
\u201cHe\u2019s an amazing fighter. On clay he\u2019s just tough to play. There is always one ball coming back. He creates doubts that you cannot have if you want to beat him.
\u201cI think today, if you play Rafa, if you\u2019 re not completely free with what you think and what you\u2019 re gonna do and not completely relaxed the way you\u2019 re gonna play, you have no chance.\u201d
Nadal won for the 16th time in 19 meetings with Wawrinka, who insisted there was plenty to be positive about following his recent performances.
\u201cIn three weeks I won Geneva and made final of a Grand Slam, so that\u2019s big for me, \u201d said Wawrinka, who will rise a spot to third in the rankings.
\u201cBut I will need few days to really see that, because it\u2019s tough to describe the feeling of losing a Grand Slam final.\u201d CBB<\/p>\n

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