Rafael Nadal Defeats Stan Wawrinka to Win French Open 2017 Men's Final




Spain's Rafael Nadal reacts winning a point against Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka during the men's final tennis match at the Roland Garros 2017 French Open on June 11, 2017 in Paris. / AFP PHOTO / FRANCOIS XAVIER MARIT (Photo credit should read FRANCOIS XAVIER MARIT/AFP/Getty Images)
FRANCOIS XAVIER MARIT/Getty Images
The King of Clay has regained his throne at Roland Garros. 
Rafael Nadal scored an emphatic 6-2, 6-3, 6-1 victory over Stan Wawrinka on Sunday to win the 2017 French Open men's championship in Paris.
It's the 31-year-old Spaniard's 10th title in the event—two more than any other player in history—and his 15th major tournament triumph overall. The longtime fan favorite also ended a Grand Slam drought that dated to the 2014 French Open.
Roland-Garros highlighted the championship point:
Jon Wertheim of Sports Illustrated commented on the lopsided final:
A couple of former ATP Tour stars also chimed in on the dominant showing:
There were moments over the past three years when it was fair to wonder whether Nadal, whose success at Roland Garros was among the most sure things in sports, might be done winning majors.
Chronic knee issues, a problematic wrist and the cumulative toll of more than a decade grinding it out as a top contender on the ATP Tour left him as an also-ran for a while.
Starting with the 2015 Wimbledon Championships, he went six straight Grand Slam events without advancing beyond the fourth round. In that stretch, he missed last year's trip to the All England Club because of a wrist injury that had caused him to withdraw from the French Open before Round 3.
Last December, Nadal told Fatima Kdouh of the Daily Telegraph he never considered retirement during the myriad setbacks but that he counted himself among those unsure another major title would arrive.
"I don't know ... I never know if I'm going to win another grand slam," he said. "Not one time in my career ... when I won the first or when I won the second ... or when I win No. 9 or 10, I didn't know and today is still the same situation.
"I don't know if I have the chance to win No. 15, but I'm going to fight for it."
Now, after he reached the Australian Open final and cruised through the French Open draw without dropping a single set, those concerns seem like a distant memory.
"The feeling that I have here is impossible to describe, impossible to compare to other places," Nadal said after the match, via Sandra Harwitt of USA Today. "The adrenaline and nerves I feel on this court I can't describe. This is the most important event in my career, without a doubt."
Wawrinka was no match for the clay-court master Sunday. The Swiss star captured the 2015 Roland Garros title with a victory over Novak Djokovic, who had beat Nadal in the quarterfinals. Wawrinka rarely threatened the fourth-ranked player in the world in his hunt for a second championship in Paris, though.
Nadal put together a nearly flawless performance. He earned 83.3 percent of the points on his first serve and 65.2 percent on his second serve. He also won 18 of 20 points when he came to the net and finished with 27 winners compared to 12 unforced errors.
Quite simply, with the best clay-court player in history playing like that, Wawrinka never stood a chance.
Mark Masters of TSN provided a note about Grand Slam title No. 15 for the Spanish sensation:
ESPN Stats & Info showcased his place in the record book:
It's virtually impossible to quantify Nadal's greatness on the surface because there's been nothing like it. His style of play blends uniquely with what it takes to win on the red clay of Roland Garros, which has created a perfect storm 10 times over the last 13 years.
Moving forward, if Nadal can maintain his health throughout the busy summer schedule, it would significantly raise his chances of being able to create a second act in his already illustrious career.
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Iran sends planes stuffed with food to Qatar

Five Iranian planes filled with food have landed at Doha airport as the blockade against Qatar by Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries starts to bite.
Iran said the planes were filled with vegetables and that it plans to send 100 tons of fresh fruit and legumes every day to the import-dependent nation, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency.
"So far five planes carrying ... vegetables have been sent to Qatar, each carrying around 90 tonnes of cargo, while another plane will be sent today," Iran Air spokesman Shahrokh Noushabadi told the Agence France-Presse news agency Sunday. "We will continue deliveries as long as there is demand."
    Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut links with Qatar last Monday, accusing Doha of supporting and financing terrorism in the Middle East and elsewhere -- a charge Qatar denies.
    Separately, Iran is preparing to send a flotilla of warships first to Oman and then later to international waters north of the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden, Tasnim reported.
    The agency said the fleet was dispatched as part of Iran's commitments to fight international piracy, and did not mention tensions with Arab countries involved in the spat with Qatar.
    Qatar crisis threatens to tear families apart
    Qatar crisis threatens to tear families apart 02:58
    As well as cutting air, sea and land links with Doha, three of the countries involved -- Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE -- ordered Qatari citizens to leave within 14 days.
    On Sunday, Qatar said that the 11,000 citizens of those countries that have cut ties will be allowed to stay in the country.
    "The state of Qatar has not taken any steps regarding the inhabitants on its territories, who are the citizens of brotherly and friendly countries which have cut diplomatic relations or downgraded diplomatic representation with the state of Qatar in the wake of biased and hostile campaigns against the state of Qatar," the government said in a statement.
    "The citizens of these states have absolute freedom to stay in the territories of the state of Qatar in adherence with the laws and applicable regulations in the country in the context of working treaties established with them and with the agreement of their countries and based on entry visas that are available to them" it continued.
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    Conservatives say they're losing health care bill fight

    Conservatives on and off Capitol Hill fear they're losing ground in their fight to influence the Senate bill that will repeal and replace Obamacare.
    The discussions are still ongoing and a vote isn't likely for several weeks, but several details emerging from the consequential negotiations last week have the party's right flank on edge.
    A month ago, there was a lot of optimism that the Senate process would go better for conservatives than the House process initially had. They were given a seat at the negotiating table, with leadership inviting both Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Ted Cruz of Texas to participate in the Senate's health care "working group." But with leaders seeking to assuage concerns from all sides of the GOP, conservatives are facing potential policy blows.
      Republican leaders Tuesday indicated that they preferred not to repeal as many of the Obamacare-era regulations as the House bill did, including a key protection for people with pre-existing conditions that blocks insurers from charging people more for insurance based on their health history.
      That could make it tougher for Republican Sens. Lee, Cruz and Kentucky's Rand Paul to vote for the bill after they've warned for months that Obamacare regulations have to go if premiums are going to come down.
      Michael Cannon, the director of health policy studies at the libertarian Cato Institute, said from what he can tell, senators are moving little more than "Obamacare with window dressing."
      Heritage Action spokesman Dan Holler said of the status of negotiations, "It's a very complex issue, but certainly the way conversations played out publicly this week, there's concern among a lot of conservatives. If you look at Senate conservatives, they are still very involved in the process. That needs to continue."
      Also on the table: keeping some of the Obamacare-era taxes in place for at least awhile to reach the $133 billion savings goal that is required under Senate rules.
      "That set off alarm bells here," Club for Growth President David McIntosh said Friday. "The Club for Growth would vigorously campaign against that as fake Obamacare repeal. ... If the Senate was trying to send out a trial balloon, consider it shot down."
      McIntosh said his group put out calls to Senate offices making it clear they wouldn't support a bill that kept key Obamacare taxes in place. The Club for Growth is working on designing a campaign to promote the Senate's repeal bill right now, but McIntosh warned it will turn the campaign against the bill if they don't feel it's conservative enough.
      Also under discussion is a proposed seven-year "glide path" that would phase out Medicaid expansion more slowly than the House bill would and would be a major win for moderates from expansion states.
      One conservative GOP aide said they are feeling squeezed out of the process.
      "It's is very frustrating because things are happening behind closed door and we are unable to provide input," the aide said. "(House Speaker) Paul Ryan tried that strategy and ended up with a conservative revolt on his hands, we hope next week Senate leadership will shed more light on the details and process."
      Leadership can't ignore conservatives. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell can only afford to lose two members and still pass a health care bill. But leadership aides argue that the process is far from a done deal and there are still a lot of details to negotiate. And some conservative members, including Sen. Pat Toomey, a Republican from Pennsylvania, vehemently push back on the idea they're losing steam.
      "I'm not convinced it's an accurate characterization at this point," Toomey said.

      Sending bill to CBO soon?

      Republican aides emphasize it's go time. Decisions are going to have to be made soon. Majority Whip John Cornyn told reporters last week that the Senate is likely to vote shortly after the July 4 recess. That would require lawmakers to hammer out the details and then in the next few days give something to the independent Congressional Budget Office to score before the vote.
      Republican senators have said they want to wait for the CBO score before their legislation comes to the floor, unlike their House counterparts, who passed their bill last month.
      On Tuesday, Republicans will huddle once again at their conference lunch to try and find consensus. Last week's meeting included a menu of options. This week's will give members a more fully fleshed out plan based on feedback. A GOP aide familiar with the negotiations characterized the meeting as likely a red light, green light, yellow light situation.
      While outside groups are applying pressure, some conservative members within the GOP conference are slowly coming to terms with the fact that the Obamacare repeal bill may not be as robust as they had once hoped. In the end, they argue, it's about getting a repeal bill passed.
      "There are parts we're going to keep no matter what. Twenty-six-year-olds stay on their families' policies, no cap on the amount of coverage you can have. Those are things we're already keeping," said Sen. Tim Scott, a Republican from South Carolina.
      Pressed on whether he would be comfortable keeping some of the Obamacare taxes in place, Scott said, "I'm not sure that I'm comfortable. I'm comfortable being a part of 51 senators that improves the outcome of America's health insurance conversation, which requires us to act."
      "I think there's gotta be some transition period," said Sen. David Perdue, a Republican from Georgia. "It's gonna take some time to transition out of here."
      Sen. James Lankford, an Oklahoma Republican, said his own vision for Obamacare repeal has shifted as the process has gone on.
      "It is for everybody because we are dealing with the restrictions of reconciliation rules. All of us are dealing with those clear boundaries," Lankford said. "If you have reconciliation rules and you are dealing with 51 votes, how do you get this done?"
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      Richard Hammond jokes 'I'm not dead' after horror car crash




































      (CNN)Former "Top Gear" presenter Richard Hammond was in joking mood Sunday, kidding: "I'm not dead," the day after he survived a horrific car crash.
      Hammond, who was in Switzerland filming Amazon's "The Grand Tour" was flown to hospital in St. Gallen after the electric supercar he was driving crashed and then burst into flames.
      Hammond's co-host, Jeremy Clarkson, said that it was the "biggest crash I've ever seen and the most frightening."
      Speaking from his hospital bed Sunday, Hammond confirmed he would require knee surgery in a video broadcast by Drive Tribe.
        "I would like to thank all of the medical professionals who got me by air ambulance from the crash to the hospital and who have dealt with me ever since," he said.
        Hammond also apologized to his wife Mindy, and two daughters, Issy and Willow.
        Hammond's car was destroyed in the crash.
        Hammond's car was destroyed in the crash.
        Hammond was injured when he crashed while driving a Rimac Concept One, an electric supercar built in Croatia, the makers of "The Grand Tour" confirmed in a statement on Saturday.
        They said Hammond was involved in a "serious crash" after completing the Hemburg Hill Climb.
        "Richard was conscious and talking, and climbed out of the car himself before the vehicle burst into flames," said the statement.
        "He was flown by air ambulance to hospital in St. Gallen to be checked over revealing a fracture to his knee. Nobody else was in the car or involved in the accident, and we'd like to thank the paramedics on site for their swift response. The cause of the crash is unknown and is being investigated."
        "The Grand Tour" posted two photos on Twitter of the car involved in the crash. They showed a mostly charred vehicle that had flipped upside down.
        This is not the first time Hammond has been injured while filming.
        In 2006 he nearly died after losing control of a Vampire dragster which he had been driving at speeds up to 288 mph (463 kph).
        He was in a coma for two weeks but made a full recovery.
        Earlier this year, Hammond also admitted to have suffered injuries after falling of his motorcycle while filming in Mozambique.
        CNN's Rebecca Wright and Lorenzo D'Agostino contributed to this article.

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