Rafael Nadal has beaten Casper Ruud in consecutive sets to claim his 14th Roland Garros Championship and 22nd Grand Slam overall title, adding to two records he already held.
Christmas’s 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 victory came two days after his 36th birthday and made him the winner of the oldest title in the history of the clay tournament.
Ruud led 3-1 in the second set, a deficit that spurred Nadal to increase his level: he won the last 11 games.
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The Spaniard Rafael Nadal celebrates the victory of the last match against the Norwegian Casper Ruud in three sets. (Photo by AP / Michel Euler) (AP)
The Spaniard’s first victory in Paris came at the age of 19 in 2005. No man or woman has ever won the individual trophy in any major event other than their 14th in Paris. And no man has won more Grand Slam titles than Christmas.
He is now two ahead of rivals Roger Federer, who has been out of action for almost a year after a series of knee surgeries, and Novak Djokovic, who missed the Australian Open in January because he is not vaccinated against the COVID-19 and lost before Christmas. at Roland Garros.
Given his age, and, more worryingly, the chronic pain in his left foot that has been a constant problem for years, Nadal has repeatedly said in recent days that he can never be sure if every game on the Philippe Chatrier track could be the its last.
However, it does not seem like much reason to give up, given that he overcame four opponents of the French Open ranked in the top 10 to win.