ACAPULCO, Mexico - Rafael Nadal said earlier in the week that he was not aware of his career statistics. Now, he would like to take a look at them.
The 35-year-old Spaniard defeated Cameroon Nori 6-4, 6-4 to win the Mexican Open on Saturday to extend his career-best start to the season 15-0 to win his 91st ATP title.
Nadal, who won his third title in 2022, including the Australian Open for his record 21st Grand Slam singles title, has three wins from Ivan Lendl's 94 for most championships in the Open Era. Jimmy Connors leads with 109 and Roger Federer with 103.
"In the end, I've always said that once your career is over, this kind of record needs to be measured," Nadal said. "The most important thing today is that I have won a prestigious tournament."
The Mexican Open is an ATP 500-level tournament played on hard courts, and this year four of the top five players in the world started in draws: Daniil Medvedev (2), Alexander Zverev (3), Stefanos Tsitsipas (4). and Nadal (5).
Medvedev, who was ranked No. 1 in the rankings on Monday, lost to Nadal in the semi-finals. Zverev was kicked out of the tournament for violently breaking his racket at the umpire's chair after losing the doubles match, and Tsitsipas lost to Nori in the second semi-final.
"[Acapulco] is a tournament that started with five of the top six players in the world," Nadal said. "It was complicated, and I ended up winning. Looking back, a few weeks ago it seemed impossible. It's amazing how things can change in such a short amount of time, not being able to practice and now where I am today."
Nadal won for the fourth time in Acapulco (2005, 2013 and 2020), where he is a fan favorite.
He won his first title in Mexico at the age of 18 and holds the record for being the youngest winner in tournament history as well as the oldest at 35.
"It's been a long career," Nadal said. "The first time I came here, everything was new to me, and after all these years, you start appreciating every victory when you were an 18-year-old boy."
Nadal said his body is holding up well and he looks forward to playing in Indian Wells, Calif., in a few weeks.
Norie, who was on an eight-match winning streak, was trying to become the first British man to win the Mexican Open in its 29-year history.
"I had played against him before, so I had an idea to play against him, but I gave him some easy points and he gave me nothing," Nori said. "It was a little lack of concentration, and I gave him the match."
At the start of the match, Nadal took a break to take a 3–2 lead in the fifth game and won the first set in 51 minutes.
In the second set, Nadal had got a break in the first game, but Nori returned it and appeared to come back into the match, but the Spaniard added breaks in the fifth and seventh games to take home the trophy.
In the doubles final, Feliciano López and Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Roger 7–5, 6–4.