The twitch, the tic, the tug: Rafael Nadal as we’ve always known him.And the trophy, with Nadal triumphant for the 80th time on the ATP tour, and the 33rd in the Masters 1000 series.His fourth Rogers Cup.It was to be expected, of course, against unseeded sensation Stefanos Tsitsipas, who knocked off four top-10 opponents in a row as a 19-year-old showstopper.Yet the final wasn’t quite as expected, not with the ease that marked a lopsided first set.Belatedly, Tsitsipas woke up and smartened up, forcing Nadal to earn the win in a second-set tiebreak — 6-2, 7-6 (4) overall — even pushing the world No. 1 to a set-point break point that was fended off.Though Nadal hadn’t played his best tennis in Toronto, except in flashes, his lower gear has still got more vroom than just about anybody else around. The 32-year-old held on for dear life amidst the late wobbles of the second frame and prevailed in the up-down tiebreak as the one-hour, 42-minute engagement came to an end under a big blue sky Sunday and Nadal extended uplifted double fists towards it.On what was his first day as a 20-year-old, Tsitsipas reflected on what the roll-busting encounter had shown him. “How much gap there is between him and me in our games. And how much more I need to — I don’t want to be rude — but bust my ass on the court.“Work more hours and become stronger and more solid baseliner. And withstand pressures, physical pressures on the court, that to him just seems like nothing special. That’s the big difference between my game and his game.“And the patience that Rafa has is amazing. He never cracks. He will always grab you like a bulldog. He will make you suffer ... I mean, he was like, you know, normal like all of us, and he managed to become this beast, this monster that he is today.”Monster as high praise.Nadal knows all about starburst phenoms. He was one himself, only 19 when he claimed his first Grand Slam tit ...
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