Nadal eyes 11th French Open title as clock ticks

Rafael Nadal admits that his desire to clinch an 11th French Open title tomorrow is fired by his growing realisation that the end of his career may not be too far away.

The 32-year-old Spaniard, with 16 majors to his name, will play his 24th Grand Slam final at Roland Garros against Dominic Thiem who is in his first.

Victory will give Nadal an 11th title in Paris and equal Margaret Court's all-time record for wins at the same Slam event -- in her case, the Australian Open from 1960 and 1973 Nadal still trails great rival Roger Federer by four major titles although the Swiss star is more than four years older.

"For me, the motivation to play here always is high, high as possible," said Nadal after breezing past Juan Martin del Potro 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 in yesterday's semi-finals in what was his 85th win in Paris against just two defeats.

"But for me, I believe that there are limited chances in your career.

"I have lost a lot of opportunities through injuries, and I know the years are going quick. So there is not 10 more chances to keep playing here."
- 'He is fresh, healthy. Everything is perfect' -
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"He looks fresh. He is healthy. And the strength that he has and the mentality, everything is perfect, works perfect for him playing on clay."
"He likes the conditions more here than in Madrid, for sure. Best of five is also a different story."
"But I have a plan."