Nadal eyes 11th French Open title

ROME: Rafael Nadal insisted Sunday that his stunning 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 comeback win over Alexander Zverev which delivered an eighth Rome Masters title will have no impact on his campaign to lift an 11th French Open. German second seed and defending champion Zverev was 3-1 up in the deciding set in Sunday’s final before two rain stoppages halted his momentum at the Foro Italico. Nadal came back on court re-energised to sweep the final four games and claim victory for his 32nd Masters trophy. Nadal, who will return to the world number one ranking on Monday, remains the best clay-courter of the Open Era with an astonishing 408-36 record. He will next seek an 11th French Open crown to match the 11 he already owns from Monte Carlo and Barcelona. However, the 31-year-old insists that his impeccable clay court credentials will mean little when he heads to Paris for the second major of the season starting next Sunday. “Conditions in Paris are completely different. I don’t believe that what happened, even if I lost — even with the victory — creates a big impact about what can happen in Paris,” said the Spaniard.