Ruud stands between Nadal and 22nd Slam title
RESULTS: Men’s singles: Semi-finals: C Ruud bt M Cilic 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2. Mixed doubles: Final: J Vliegen/U Eikeri lost to E Shibahara/W Koolhof 6-7(5), 2-6
Rafael Nadal truly has nothing more to do to make clear his greatness on a tennis court – 21 Grand Slam titles, 13 championships on the red clay of the French Open.
That is not to say he does not want to achieve more, of course. Still, it is not why he is out there at 36, bothered by chronic pain that flares up in his left foot often, and ready to face 23-year-old Casper Ruud of Norway in the men’s final at Roland Garros on Sunday.
“It is not about things that you need to prove. It is about how much you enjoy doing what you are doing – or, if you do not enjoy, then it is another story,” said Spain’s Nadal, who advanced when his semi-final opponent, the third-seeded Alexander Zverev, needed to stop playing late in the second set after hurting his right ankle.
“But if you like what you are doing, you keep going .... I keep playing because I like what I do. So that is it,” Nadal continued. “Of course, I enjoy [it]. And if I am healthy enough to play, I like the competition, honestly. I like to play in the best stadiums of the world and feel myself, at my age, still competitive. It means a lot to me. That makes me feel proud in some way and happy about all the work that we did.”
If Nadal has plenty of past success and “been there, done that” in his favour going into the final, Ruud does have youth on his side.
Not to mention an impressive recent track record on clay, with tour highs of 66 match wins and seven titles on the surface since the start of the 2020 season. “I will need to play my best tennis ever,” said Ruud, who never had been past the fourth round of a major until this week.
“But, I still have to believe that I can do it.” Nadal has a 13-0 record in French Open finals, capturing the trophy in his teens, his 20s and his 30s – Ruud was paying close attention to them all. “To be part of that group (Roland Garros winners) myself is something I can always brag about after my career. I will, of course, give a shot at the title.” Ruud calls Nadal his idol and has trained at the Spaniard’s academy in Mallorca over the past four years.
While Nadal and Ruud have never met in an official match, they have spent many a day playing practice sets against each other.