Nadal

2022 - 6 - 5

Post cover — Image courtesy of "The Guardian"

Rafael Nadal defies time and Casper Ruud to win his 14th French ... (The Guardian)

Rafael Nadal has won his 14th French Open title, and 22nd grand slam in total, with 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 victory over Casper Ruud.

Ruud became locked deeper and deeper in his backhand corner, and most of the time he was unable to escape. Nadal missed break points in the opening game of the second set, and then double faulted on break point himself to trail 3-1. Under minimal pressure, Nadal eased through the set as the predictable pattern was established, Nadal laying waste to the Ruud backhand in the ad-court exchanges with his heavy topspin forehand. The outcome of his efforts have only reinforced what has been clear for well over a decade: as long as Nadal is fit enough to play freely, Nadal at Roland Garros is the closest thing in tennis to untouchable. Two days after his 36th birthday, and 17 years after first winning here as a precocious 19 year-old, Nadal has now won for long enough to also stand as the oldest French Open men’s champion in history, surpassing the 50-year record set by his countryman, Andres Gimeno, who was 34 years old. In recent years as he has edged ever closer towards the twilight of his career, Rafael Nadal has continually discussed his advancing age with total disdain.

Rafael Nadal Wins 14th French Open, 22nd Major Championship To ... (Forbes)

Rafael Nadal captured his 14th French Open and record-extending 22nd major championship with a straight-sets victory over 23-year-old Casper Ruud of Norway.

But Nadal rattled off five straight games, ultimately winning the second set on his fourth set point when Ruud double-faulted to go down two sets to love. After a shaky game in which Nadal himself was broken, he earned a second break of Ruud for 4-1. Nadal has a chance to win the calendar Grand Slam but it appears he won’t compete at Wimbledon and will give himself a chance to rest his chronic foot injury instead. Nadal navigated the much tougher top half of the draw en route to his 14th final. Nadal’s latest win came one day after Iga Świątek of Poland, a huge fan of Nadal’s, won her 35th straight match and second French Open with a straight-sets win over 18-year-old American Coco Gauff. Nadal wished Świątek luck before the match. Despite a chronic foot problem that caused him to limp off the court after losing to Denis Shapovalov in Rome, and has triggered rumblings of retirement, Nadal looked his dominant self at this fortnight.

Rafael Nadal: 'Having This Trophy Means Everything' | ATP Tour ... (ATP Tour)

Following his win over Casper Ruud on Court Philippe Chatrier, Rafael Nadal revealed his triumph at Roland Garros was one of the most emotional and ...

I would love to see him with a trophy in the future.” “For me, what drives me to keep going is not about the competition to try to be the best or to win more Grand Slams than the others. “That's, for me, that's the most important thing in the sport. He's going to be the fourth in the [Pepperstone ATP] Race [To Turin] now. “Because I have no feelings on my foot, because my doctor was able to put anesthetic injections on the nerves. “I have been playing with injections on the nerves to sleep the foot, and that's why I was able to play during these two weeks.

Rafael Nadal wins French Open, taking home a record 22nd grand ... (ABC News)

French Open champion Rafael Nadal will play at Wimbledon later this month if his body allows him to, the Spaniard says after winning Roland Garros for a ...

Ruud would later hear folks in the stands do drawn-out pronouncements of his last name, so it sounded as if they might be booing. After trailing 3-1 in the second set, Nadal would not cede another game. He played so crisply and cleanly Sunday, accumulating more than twice as many winners as Ruud, 37 to 16. Play begins at the All England Club on June 27. The chartreuse T-shirt he wore on Sunday had sleeves, unlike his biceps-baring look of nearly two decades ago. That ability to read serves and return them with a purpose still stings.

'I don't get it': The 'unbelievable' Nadal feat boggling minds as GOAT ... (Fox Sports)

'I don't get it': The 'unbelievable' Nadal feat boggling minds as GOAT debate has new favourite.

The first week he was okay, and then all of a sudden he raised his level against Novak and then again against Zverev,” he said. Maybe this could be the main reason why he will be the greatest player of all time.” “In terms of who is going to end up with the most amount of Grand Slams, a couple of years ago I would have said Djokovic, for sure.

King of clay Nadal beats Ruud to take grand slam tally to 22 (The Sydney Morning Herald)

But Nadal, who passed fellow Spaniard Andres Gimeno as the oldest Roland Garros men's singles champion, again proved that even at less than 100 per cent he is ...

Ruud raised his level at the start of the second, saving three break points to hold serve in the opening game. The Norwegian soon broke Nadal to love to take a lead for the first time in the match, but it proved short-lived as Nadal wiped out the advantage in the next game. Ruud has led the men’s tour since the start of the 2020 season in claycourt wins, finals and titles, and was the first man from his country to make a grand slam singles final – but he was no match for Nadal. Nadal and Ruud had never played a competitive match before Sunday, but the duo have hit together plenty of times at the Spaniard’s academy in Mallorca and the Norwegian said he has never won a practice set against his idol. The Spaniard, who turned 36 on Friday, swept aside Norwegian Ruud 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 on a balmy afternoon in Paris to ensure he has won every time he has reached the final at the claycourt grand slam. Rafael Nadal brutally crushed Norwegian Casper Ruud on Sunday to lift a record-extending 14th French Open trophy and increase his lead at the top of the list of men’s grand slam champions.