Rafael Nadal defeated Casper Ruud in straight sets to win a record-extending 14th French Open and 22nd grand slam title, in what is perhaps the toughest and most remarkable triumph of the Spaniard’s storied career at Roland Garros.
At 36, Nadal becomes the oldest French Open champion in history and his victory on the Paris clay comes just weeks after his participation in the tournament was thrown into doubt due to a painful foot injury.
It left Nadal admitting throughout his run to the title that this French Open could be his last and heightened the drama as he survived marathon matches against Felix Auger-Aliassime and then his great rival Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals.
“For me, it’s hard to describe the feelings I have. I would not believe I would be here at 36,” said Nadal, who used his experience to dispatch the 23-year-old Ruud 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 on what was the Norwegian’s first appearance in a grand slam final.
In regaining his French Open title from Djokovic, after last winning the title in 2020, Nadal has moved two clear of the world No 1 and Roger Federer in the all-time list of grand slam champions.
Nadal’s victory at the Australian Open in January, in which he fought from two sets down to defeat Daniil Medvedev, also means that he is halfway to a calendar grand slam – a feat last achieved in the men’s game by Rod Laver in 1969.
“It’s amazing the things that are happening this year,” Nadal said, before the Spaniard revealed that he has been receiving pain-killing injections in his foot to allow him to play. “I don’t know what can happen in the future but I am going to keep fighting to try to keep going.”
Nadal progressed to a 30th grand slam final after his opponent Alexander Zverev suffered a horrific ankle injury in Friday’s semi-final, with the players still yet to complete the second set after three hours on court.
But Nadal recovered physically and the final was rather more straightforward, with Nadal finishing with a flourish to win 11 games in a row and reaching his highest level with a stunning array of passing winners.
After a nervy first set that saw both players find their feet in the final, the 11-game streak was sparked after Ruud moved a break ahead in the second set and held a 3-1 lead.
It felt as if Ruud had arrived after flashing a winner past Nadal, but he would not win another game as he was taken apart by his idol and mentor on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
Ruud had become the first player from Norway to reach a men’s grand slam final and is a product of Nadal’s academy in Manacor. “Today I got to feel what it is like to play you and I know I’m not the first victim,” Ruud said. “There have been many more.”
Nadal had struggled physically at times during his epic encounters with Auger-Aliassime, Djokovic and Zverev but his movement around the clay was impressive in sealing a victory in two hours and 18 minutes.
He finished with 37 winners to 18 unforced errors, with 14 of those winners coming in the final set as a relentless and rampant Nadal hit his stride. Once again, a corner of Paris was transformed into Spain.
The result was a familiar one; the conclusion to an extraordinary two weeks was an outcome that had been celebrated 13 times before on Philippe-Chatrier. But after the injuries, the lay-offs, the uncertainty, the jeopardy – this was a French Open triumph to stand above the rest.
