Nadal like a Matisse masterpiece - Kuerten salutes French Open champion
Rafael Nadal tasted success at the French Open for a 12th time and was likened to a "masterpiece" Matisse painting by Gustavo Kuerten.
World number two Nadal overcame Dominic Thiem 6-3 5-7 6-1 6-1 in an enthralling match on Court Philippe-Chatrier on Sunday to retain La Coupe des Mousquetaires.
No player, man or woman, has been as successful at a single grand slam as the 'King of Clay' has been at Roland Garros.
Three-time French Open champion Kuerten admires Nadal's achievements in Paris and believes there is still room for more.
"It's already impressive enough for us to discuss how the next, or the third or the fifth he will get," Kuerten told Omnisport when asked to appraise a 12th crown for Nadal.
"It's already beyond. He already did the impossible, so it's one more line of the beauty, one more flower at the garden.
"But we are already watching the Matisse painting. It's there. If we do 10, 12, 15 replicas of this art it's better for us. But that's enough for us, enough of beauty to understand that's a masterpiece."
YOU CAN’T STOP THE KING
— ATP Tour (@ATP_Tour) June 9, 2019
@RafaelNadal is the 2019 @rolandgarros champion pic.twitter.com/zMw8SAFq7p
Nadal now sits just two adrift of Roger Federer's record haul of 20 major titles. Kuerten has no doubt the Spaniard will keep adding to his tally by securing further triumphs in Paris.
Asked how many more times we could see Nadal lift La Coupe des Mousquetaires, he playfully said: "Ten more!
"This is the Rafa mode so we are already seeing the impossible. We cannot expect anything less than this, [along] these same lines.
"So he will have normally a good chance of winning and being the favourite for the next three years."