By Randy Walker
@TennisPublisher
Playing in the final of Roland Garros 17 years to the day from when he won his first title in Paris and his major title, Rafael Nadal won his 14th French title and his 22nd major title with a decisive 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 win over Casper Ruud.
With Nadal at age 36 and troubled with severe pain his foot, the question immediately arouse is if this Roland Garros title would be a career book-end on this anniversary day?
Following his final-round victory, Nadal revealed in post-match interviews that he needed pain-killer injections in his left foot for the Muller Weiss condition that he has suffered from for most of his career. He said he played with his “foot asleep” and numb.
“I don’t know what can happen in the future but I’m going to keep fighting to try to keep going,” Nadal said after his victory.
For the first time in his unprecedented career, Nadal has won the first two major singles titles – halfway to a potential Grand Slam. However, the question is not whether Nadal will win Wimbledon but will he even PLAY Wimbledon?
“I can’t imagine him going,” said Mary Carillo on NBC television of Nadal after John McEnroe said he could not see Nadal not playing at the All England Club with a chance now to win.
Nadal will work with doctors and foot specialist and his team and will no doubt try his best to play at Wimbledon to try to win the third leg of the Grand Slam. One year ago, Novak Djokovic won the first three legs of the Grand Slam before falling in the final hurdle in the U.S. Open final, where he was looking to be only the second man to complete the Grand Slam sweep of all four major titles in a calendar year, joining Rod Laver (who won it twice in 1962 and 1969) and Don Budge in 1938.
Nadal extended his legacy in history with his 22nd major, moving him another major away from both Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, who still stand at 20 majors each. Nadal’s 14 singles titles in Paris is now eight better than Bjorn Borg’s six titles and seven more than Chris Evert’s seven.
Nadal grabbed another slice of Roland Garros history with the win. At two days past his 36th birthday, he passed fellow Spaniard Andres Gimeno as the oldest Roland Garros men’s singles champion in history. Gimeno, at age 35 years and 10 months, set the record exactly 50 years and one day earlier in 1973 when he defeated Patrick Proisy of France in the 1972 final.
