Rafael Nadal thrashed rookie Casper Ruud as King of Clay clinched the French Open final 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 to clinch a record 14th Roland Garros title and 22nd Grand Slam crown.
Sometimes one wonders if one day they will be staging a Platinum Jubilee for Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros.
The 36-year-old Spaniard became the oldest men’s champion in French Open history when he defeated Casper Ruud 6-3 6-3 6-0 in two hours and 17 minutes to take his fourteenth title.
This early summer rite of passage came to pass as expected with him dominating the Norwegian challenger on the court where he is almost impossible to beat.
And after the match, Nadal reflected on his historic and record-extending victory.
He said: “It’s difficult to describe the feelings I have now. I never believed I would be here at 36, being competitive again, playing in the most important court of my career one more time.
“It means everything. It means a lot of energy to keep going. I don’t know what is going on in the future. I will keep fighting to keep going.”
Astonishingly, he has now been halfway to a calendar Grand Slam in 2022, having missed the second half of last season with foot problems.
He leads Novak Djokovic 22-20 in the race to see who can win the most Major titles, although the Serb may well peg one back at Wimbledon.
Djokovic in the quarter-final was his biggest hurdle in Paris this year, although his toughest match proved to be Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime in the previous round.
Ruud said after the match: “To my own team, everyone involved, it has been a long road already. Even though I am young I have a big team around me. It is a road that is impossible without the help of everyone.
“To the city of Paris, the people who came, it has been unbelievable and quite an experience for me to play in front of over 10,000 people in the final. It has been two difficult years for everyone around the world with Covid so to see it full is inspiring.
“You have been very nice to me all two weeks, so thank you. It gives me the motivation to come back and hopefully next year I can learn some French, if it’s possible, it’s not easy but I will try… I can’t wait to come back here again. Thank you and merci.”
