Rafael Nadal won the Mexican Open, maintaining his perfect start to 2022 by defeating British number one Cameron Norrie 6-4 6-4.
Nadal, 35, believed he would have to retire due to a foot injury at the conclusion of last year, but he has won all three tournaments he has played this year.
After winning a Melbourne warm-up event, the Spaniard won his 21st major championship at the Australian Open.
“At the start of the year this was unimaginable,” said the Spaniard.
“A month and a half ago nobody would have believed it.”
Nadal’s triumph over Norrie gave him a 15th win of the season, extending his career-best winning streak.
The fourth seed, who defeated Daniil Medvedev, the incoming world number one, in the last four, won the title in Acapulco without dropping a set.
It is Nadal’s 91st career championship, and his fourth in Mexico City, where he won his first as an 18-year-old in 2005.
Nadal is the tournament’s youngest and oldest champion, having also won in 2013 and 2020.
How it started (2005) ➡️ How it’s going (2022) @RafaelNadal #AMT2022 l #NewBeginnings pic.twitter.com/MQ3wyfH017
— Abierto Mexicano (@AbiertoTelcel) February 27, 2022