Rafael Nadal wins 14th French Open title after beating Casper Ruud

 

 

The “King of Clay” has returned to Paris after a year’s absence.

 

Rafael Nadal won the French Open for the record 14th time, defeating Norwegian Casper Ruud 6-3 6-3 6-0.
The Spaniard dominated the final on Sunday, winning 11 straight games in the second and third sets to win his 22nd grand slam trophy, putting him two ahead of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic on the all-time list of men’s major slam winners.

With the triumph, Nadal, 36, became the oldest men’s singles champion at Roland Garros, having won his first French Open championship 17 years ago.

 

“For me personally, it’s very difficult to describe the feelings that I have,” Nadal said in his on-court interview after the game. “It’s something that I for sure never believed I’d be here at 36, being competitive again, playing in the most important court of my career one more final — it means a lot to me.”

 

Ruud, who has been training at the Rafael Nadal Academy in Mallorca since 2018 and idolized Nadal as he was rising through the tennis ranks and reaching his maiden grand slam final, faced up against the maestro on Sunday at Roland Garros.
The 23-year-old, on the other hand, was trounced by Nadal in what was their first meeting.
Ruud watched the game slip away from him after taking a 3-1 lead in the second set and failing to register a game in the third set.

 

He later paid tribute to Nadal, saying in his on-court interview: “We all know what a champion you are and today I got to feel how it is to play against you in the final. It’s not easy and I’m not the first victim — I know that there have been many before.”

 

Last year’s French Open semifinals had seen Nadal lose to Djokovic, ending a four-year winning streak, but he beat his rival in the quarterfinals this year before a walkover against Alexander Zverev in the semis.

The victory over Ruud follows his Australian Open victory in January, marking the first time in Nadal’s career that he has won the first two major slams in the same calendar year.