WATCH: Nadal's rapid words prove wise in Rome

With his run to the title in Rome last week, Rafael Nadal gave a grade A demonstration of the power of persistence, and of committing to every match despite recent struggles.

He had an unusually unspectacular start to the clay swing this year, going down in the semifinals of Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Madrid, to Fabio Fognini, Dominic Thiem and Stefanos Tsitsipas, respectively. But Nadal wasn't going to let those disappointments get in the way of his Rome performance, as he rapidly and hilariously stated in his quarterfinals press conference:

"What happened in Monte Carlo happened. And what happened in Barcelona happened. And what happened in Madrid happened. And here we are. We are in Rome," Nadal said.

And that mindset paid off in spades; in the semifinals, he got his revenge win versus Tsitsipas, and, in the final, Nadal defeated Novak Djokovic, 6-0, 4-6, 6-1, recording the first bagel set in the rivalry's 54-match history.

With the win, Nadal secures at record ninth Rome title, and garners what could be seen as some much-needed momentum for the French Open. But, for Nadal, come Roland Garros, Rome won't matter. It's already happened.