Nadal Reflects On 200 Grand Slam Wins

Rafael Nadal recorded his 200^th Grand Slam match win on Thursday at Roland Garros, but he isn’t counting.

The No. 4 seed and nine-time Roland Garros champion needed less than two hours to move into the third round by defeating Facundo Bagnis of Argentina, 6-3, 6-0, 6-3. He became just the eighth tennis player in tennis history to achieve 200 Grand Slam wins,

“My first Grand Slam was at Wimbledon in 2003. It had always been a dream for me,” said Nadal. “But the most important thing is a victory in the second round and not the 200 victories. It’s only another number.”

Nadal has been in top form the past few days, dropping 10 games in his first two matches. It’s the most dominant start he’s had in a Grand Slam since Roland Garros in 2014, when he lost just as many games in the first two rounds.

“I won two matches with comfortable results. I played the way that I had to play to be in the third round,” said Nadal. “After a difficult first three games today, I played a solid match with not many mistakes and having control of the situation most of the time. I need to keep playing better if I want to have chances in the next rounds.”

Nadal will next play Marcel Granollers of Spain. He leads his FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry with Granollers by 4-0, but said past results won’t factor into his preparation.

“Each year is different and things keep changing. We have a new story to write. The only thing I know is that I have reached the third round,” said Nadal. “I just need to play my matches each day. I know there are still things I can improve, so I’m still practising and working on them.”