Nicolas Mahut is proud of the way he played after picking up his first ATP title thanks to a 6-3 6-4 victory over favourite Stanislas Wawrinka.
The 31-year-old had slipped down to 240th in the world after suffering a knee injury and Saturday’s win was only his third appearance in a final.
The match was stopped on two occasions for rain in the first set but Mahut, appearing in his first final since 2007, took it in his stride and never lost his cool.
Mahut broke the Swiss international after the second delay to take a 5-3 lead and had no problems to wrap up the set. He persisted and then broke Wawrinka in the third game of the second set and then kept his nerve to end the tournament with the record of not dropping a set.
The win was a big step in his comeback and Mahut admits he feared for his career at times during his prolonged period on the sidelines.
He said: “Six months ago, I was not sure I could play again on the tour and here I am with the trophy. I am really proud with the way I played all week.
“After all the difficulties these past few months this win proves that I was right to keep going.”
Leave a comment
Link Dafabet