For the 14th time, the Spaniard Rafael Nadal is the champion of the French Open.
The clay king defeated Norwegian Casper Ruud in straight sets and secured a dominant 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 victory in just two hours and 18 minutes.
It was not the most suspenseful game ever played. It was Ruud’s first Grand Slam final, and he faced a Roland Garros legend. He fought well, but Nadal knocked him down, proving that he still had the juice to neutralize any advantage Ruud might have. Even at 36 and with degenerative foot disease, he still played like someone 10 years younger.
Ruud had a genuine opportunity to make this a competitive contest. After an awkward first set, Ruud started the second set returning from 30-0 to win the first game. He suddenly had a 3-1 lead, and it looked like Ruud was starting to figure out how to challenge Nadal and give himself a chance.
Unfortunately, that was when Ruud’s game completely collapsed. After going up 3-1, Ruud did not win another match throughout the match. Nadal has won the last 11 games and in the end it looked like Ruud had mentally accepted his fate. When Rafa is ready, you can’t do anything.
Nadal had kind words to say about Ruud, Norway’s first Grand Slam finalist, during his victory speech. Ruud attends the Christmas tennis academy in Spain, and Nadal knows his family well even though he has never played with competitive Ruud before Sunday. Nadal knows that the next generation of tennis stars is already here, and he has been unfailingly respectful of the younger players not only during this tournament, but also over the years.
The Christmas tree was worse than anyone knew
Although the injury to his Christmas ribs has cost him time in recent months, his foot, suffering from a degenerative foot disease, ended up being the biggest concern. All the commentators expressed concern that when the parties get longer, the Christmas tree will become a bigger problem. But it was worse than anyone knew.
After his victory over Philippe Chatrier on Sunday, Nadal revealed that after his victory in the second round against Corentin Moutet, his foot was in so much pain that he could not walk.
The story goes on
The only reason Nadal continued to play was the injection he received in his foot.
So if you are keeping the score, Nadal played with Botic van de Zandschulp, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev and Ruud with a sleeping foot. That alone is phenomenal, but making it clear took its toll on Christmas. In an interview with NBC’s Maria Taylor after her victory, Nadal said it’s been a difficult few weeks and she just can’t keep playing that way.
At this point in the Christmas run, everything feels beautiful. Every set, every game, every point could be part of his last and glorious round at Roland Garros or even the Grand Slam in general. And if this is your last time on the red clay court in Paris, this tournament had everything a tennis fan (and a Rafa fan) could wish for. A dramatic and historical story. Several climbs on the verge of elimination. Two opposing rivals. The thrills of playing against your former coach’s new student and witnessing a rival’s injury at the end of the game. The aged star making one last stab at glory.
He did everything and he did everything. Nadal is once again at the forefront of men’s tennis, winning his 22nd Grand Slam Championship, the largest in history and two more than Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.
The Christmas name will last at Roland Garros
Commentators have said for the past two weeks that Nadal is the underrated member of the Big 3. But it has never seemed less true. He arrived at Roland Garros with a Grand Slam on his belt and didn’t look like a guy who had recently recovered from a rib fracture. He overcame a young adventurer trained by his former coach and also overcame his main rival, Novak Djokovic, to reach the semifinals. And we were constantly faced with his incredible stats at Roland Garros.
But beyond that, you can’t go on more than a few games without hearing the name of Christmas as an idol. Ruud idolized him growing up. The recently crowned women’s champion Iga Swiatek did the same, as did the young phenomenon of Spanish tennis, Carlos Alcaraz. Corentin Moutet, who lost to Nadal in the first rounds, loved Rafa so much that he wore his French Open sleeveless shirt to bed when he was young. Many players train at the Christmas tennis academy in Spain. And others say they have modeled their game on their own. Felix Auger-Aliassime, who gave Nadal one of his most serious challenges this tournament, hired his uncle and former Christmas coach, Toni, to be his coach.
The French Open has been played since 1891, but the name Nadal was tattooed on the tournament’s DNA. It doesn’t matter if he is underrated as a member of the big 3, or if his record of 22 Grand Slam victories is broken. At Roland Garros no one has ever been as good as him, and it can probably be said that no one will ever be the same again. It will be discussed at every French Open until the tournament is no longer played. He is the king of clay, but at Roland Garros he is a god. It is so good that it has been immortalized in a statue of the Roland Garros complex while it is still active and wins the French Open.
Whatever happens next, if he keeps playing or retires or finds a different path, Nadal will always be the CABRA at Roland Garros.
Rafael Nadal won his 14th French Open championship on Sunday, defeating Casper Ruud and further consolidating his status as the undisputed king of the clay. (REUTERS / Yves Herman)