From our Late to the Victory Party desk

The hardwatching staff yields to no man in our admiration of Rafael Nadal, who we believe is the classiest athlete in the world of sports (winning a photo finish with Derek Jeter).

Exhibit Umpteen: Christopher Clarey’s New York Times recap of Rafa’s win over Novak Djokovic in yesterday’s French Open Final.

Money quote:

“I knew I had lost four times in a row to Novak, and to be able to win again against him was very important to me,” Nadal said. “I had enough courage. I made the right decisions at the right moment and ended up on top. It’s an emotional moment, a real mix of things.”

We say Rafael Nadal is not only the classiest athlete in the world of sports, but the most thoughtful as well, now that the great Mariano Rivera has left the mound.

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