Rafa Nadal sets new world record

Rafa Nadal celebrates victory over Diego Schwartzman
Rafa Nadal celebrates victory over Diego Schwartzman
By Mark Armstrong

Spain's tennis world number one smashes John McEnroe's 34-year-old record for winning 50 consecutive sets

Tennis world number one Rafa Nadal set a new record of winning 50 consecutive sets on a single surface.

The Spaniard from Mallorca reached the total by beating Argentine Diego Schwartzman 6-3 6-4 on Thursday to reach the Madrid Open quarter-finals.

As well as the Madrid Open, Nadal's 50 sets spanned tournament wins in Barcelona, Monte Carlo and the French Open.

The 31-year-old's achievement breaks John McEnroe's record that lasted 34 years.

" I really don't think much about that, " said Nadal, reacting to the news. "All these kind of things probably when I finish my career will be the time to think about it. Now the only thing is that I won a very difficult match against a very difficult player and he played well."

Nadal's next match in the Madrid Open will be against Australia's Dominic Thiem, who knocked out the up and coming Croatian Borna Coric 2-6, 7-6, 6-4.

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