Who else but him? Rafael Nadal won his 14th title at Roland-Garros on Sunday June 5. The Spaniard made short work of the Norwegian Casper Ruud in the final, dominating him in three small sets (6-3, 6-3, 6-0) and 2h18, at the end of a final which will not enter not in the Tennis Hall of Fame. The Majorcan recovers his crown, a year after having ceded it to Novak Djokovic, and breaks the ranking of the most successful Grand Slam players, with now 22 titles (against 20 for Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic).
There were a few unknowns before the meeting, but as in previous rounds, Rafael Nadal managed to make people forget the deterioration of his physical condition and the weight of the years. We also wondered if the stormy atmosphere and a possible closure of the roof of the Central would prevent him from developing his best tennis. In the end, he was not worried enough to have to raise his level of play.
The Spaniard gave the impression that the outcome of the meeting depended only on his goodwill. His only two lows came from his own errors on serve, at 2-0 in the first set (after two double faults), then at 1-2 in the second (on a double fault at 0-40). Each time, Nadal quickly corrected the situation to regain the lead against a timorous opponent for his first Grand Slam final.
Catchy, but too imprecise to shake up his idol, Casper Ruud, who had never passed the 3rd round at Roland-Garros, ended up learning a lesson in the third set. The learning continues for the one who joined the Rafa Nadal Academy four years ago. The chasm between the master and the student, who were facing each other for the first time, is illustrated in a few statistics: he only managed to take six games from the Spaniard, that is as much as Jordan Thompson in the 1st round and two less than the French Corentin Moutet in second. “Now I know what it’s like to face you in the final. It’s not easy, but I’m not the first victim”quipped the Norwegian on the podium, during the trophy presentation.
Before the players entered the court, there was not the same excitement in the bays of Roland-Garros as during the quarter-final against Novak Djokovic on Tuesday. The stands were much less full and the encouragement before each point much less insistent, as if the public had internalized the fact that the final had been played five days earlier. The big question was not to know who would lift the trophy, but to guess if Rafael Nadal was going to play his last final, or even his last match on the Parisian ocher.
The most successful Grand Slam players in history…
Rafael Nadal – 22 titles
Roger Federer – 20
Novak Djokovic – 20
Rafael Nadal at RG-14
Pete Sampras – 14
Roy Emerson – 12
Rod Laver – 11
Bjorn Borg – 11
Bill Tilden – 10— Game, Set and Maths (@JeuSetMaths) June 5, 2022
The latter rejected the idea of an imminent end of career in an interview with France 2, and broadcast just before the meeting: “I wish I could give a clearer answer, but right now I don’t know. One thing is clear, and that is that I would very much like to return to Roland-Garros for a few more years.“Despite the pain linked to the incurable pathology which affects his left foot (Müller-Weiss syndrome) and his 36 years just blown away, the “Taurus of Manacor” does not want to leave the arena.