Tennis: Rafael Nadal is the pride of Spain – Luis Enrique

 Rafael Nadal is the pride of Spain – Luis Enrique

Rafael Nadal has been labelled as "the pride of our country" by Spain boss Luis Enrique following his latest French Open triumph.

Nadal made it 13 Roland Garros titles with a straight-sets victory over Novak Djokovic on Sunday, taking him level with Roger Federer on 20 grand slams.

It was his 100th match win at the event in Paris at a major he has dominated, losing only twice.

Nadal's supremacy in his 6-0 6-2 7-5 win against the world number one on Philippe Chatrier was underlined by the fact he made just 14 unforced errors to his opponent's 52.

And Luis Enrique, whose side face Ukraine in the Nations League on Tuesday, heaped praise on his 34-year-old compatriot.

"I want to congratulate him on behalf of the [Spanish Football] Federation," he said.

"I remember his way of facing failures and his respect for his opponents.

"He is the pride of our country. He offers us a lesson in life."

Nadal has now moved to 999 career wins across all tournaments, with 201 defeats, and has captured 86 titles.

In the titles reckoning he sits fourth in the Open Era (behind Jimmy Connors' 109, Roger Federer's 103 and Ivan Lendl's 94). A startling 60 of those titles from Nadal have come on clay.

West Ham bring in Dawson from Watford

Craig Dawson has joined West Ham on a season-long loan with an option to buy from Championship side Watford.

West Ham were heavily linked with Burnley's James Tarkowski throughout the transfer window, with the Hammers reportedly having multiple bids turned down.

With their pursuit of Tarkowski proving fruitless, David Moyes' side turned to Fikayo Tomori last week but failed to complete a loan move for the Chelsea youngster.

With the window for Premier League and EFL clubs to trade still open, however, the Hammers have managed to bolster their defensive ranks – centre-back Dawson joining from Watford.

Though not a first-choice target, Dawson brings plenty of experience to West Ham, with the 30-year-old having made 29 top-flight appearances as Watford were relegated last season.

Watford conceded 49 goals with the former West Brom man in the side, though he averaged a tackle success rate of 62.1 per cent and did not make any errors that led directly to a goal.

After losing their opening two league matches of the campaign, West Ham claimed victories over Wolves and Leicester City respectively before the international break.

Aurier rising to challenge posed by Doherty's Spurs arrival – Sissoko

Moussa Sissoko has hailed Serge Aurier's response to facing competition from new Tottenham signing Matt Doherty.

The midfielder believes Spurs' strength in depth will motivate players to be at their best, pointing to Aurier as a prime example.

With Doherty having been signed from Wolves for a reported £14.7million, Aurier will have to fight for his spot at right-back.

Aurier produced an excellent display in the 6-1 thrashing of Manchester United last time out, with the Ivory Coast international marking his first start of the season with a goal and an assist.

"That's Serge's character and if you want to have the best of someone, you need to put a bit of pressure on him, and that's what we have now, a strong squad," Sissoko told the club's official website.

"You can see in every position, two, three or four players. You have to give 100 per cent in every training session, in every game and that's also good because if someone is tired, someone else can play and it won't affect the team.

"This will help everyone as a player, as a team, as a squad. It will be good for everyone.

"Let's keep going, let's try to improve, we know we can, and hopefully we'll be happy at the end of the season."

Jose Mourinho's side are unbeaten in all competitions since suffering an opening-day loss to Everton, with West Ham up next on home soil.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: AURIER v DOHERTY (2019-20 Premier league season)

Appearances: Aurier 33-36 Doherty

Goals: Aurier 1-4 Doherty

Assists: Aurier 5-3 Doherty

Pass accuracy percentage: Aurier 79-75 Doherty

Dribble success percentage: Aurier 55-51 Doherty

Tackle success percentage: Aurier 74-54 Doherty

Blocks: Aurier 6-4 Doherty

Interceptions: Aurier 47-40 Doherty

Clean sheets: Aurier 6-12 Doherty

Errors leading to goals: Aurier 1-0 Doherty