RAFA IS KEEPING IT REAL
RAFA NADAL has been hailed as the Real Madrid of tennis before he bids to beat his “student” and win his 14th French Open title today.
Norway’s Casper Ruud, who trains at Nadal’s Mallorca academy, reckons facing the Spaniard in the final here is probably “the greatest challenge” in sport.
The King of Clay has played 13 finals at Roland Garros – and won them all. And the 36-year-old has lost only three of his 114 matches here since 2005.
The Real Madrid fan was at the Stade de France last Saturday night to see Los Blancos win a 14th Champions League title against Liverpool.
The next day he came through a fiveset battle against Felix Auger-aliassime and then knocked out world No.1 Novak Djokovic in an epic quarter-final.
He is now one win away from a 22nd Grand Slam title despite a chronic foot problem which makes him a fitness doubt for Wimbledon.
And his uncle and former coach Toni Nadal said: “Everyone wants to dethrone him – that’s normal. We have seen it with football this season. Madrid were under pressure against PSG, Manchester City and they won.
“The people who fight are usually always there at the end to win the trophies. And Rafael is a fighter. ”
No.8 seed Ruud is the first Norwegian to ever reach a Grand Slam final but the 23-year-old said: “To play Rafa in a
Roland Garros final is probably the greatest challenge there is in this sport. He has played so many finals, but at least he is playing a student from his academy. “So it is going to be a fun one.”
In the women’s final, world No.1 Iga Swiatek (below) claimed her second French Open title with a crushing win over Coco Gauff – then used her victory speech to tell Ukraine to “stay strong”.
Watched by compatriot football international Robert Lewandowski, the 21-year-old Pole beat the American teenager 6-1 6-3 to record her 35th consecutive win and cement her status as the best female player in the world.
Meanwhile, Andy Murray was beaten 5-7 7-6 6-3 by American Denis Kudla in the semi-finals of the Surbiton Trophy.