Nadal flattens Ruud in final
PARIS — Rafael Nadal, a French Open champion for the 14th time at age 36, is, in obvious ways, different from Rafael Nadal, a French Open champion for the first time all the way back in 2005 at age 19.
His hair is thinning on top. The chartreuse T-shirt he wore while overwhelming Casper Ruud 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 in Sunday’s intriguing-for-a-handful-ofminutes final had sleeves, unlike his biceps-baring look of nearly two decades ago. The white capri pants that ran below his knees back in the day were long since traded in for more standard shorts; Sunday’s were turquoise.
Nadal is nothing if not indefatigable, just as he was in consecutive four-hour-plus victories earlier in the tournament — including against Novak Djokovic, the defending champion and No. 1 seed — and again on this afternoon, even while competing on a left foot he described as feeling “asleep” because of injections to deal with chronic pain.
Clouds overhead at the start gave way to the sunlight and blue sky Nadal prefers just as Ruud’s 3-1 lead in the second set suddenly began to evaporate in what would become a match-closing 11-game run for the champion.
Nadal’s victory, his 22nd Grand Slam title, came two days after his 36th birthday and made him the oldest title winner in the history of the clay-court tournament. Given his age, and, of more concern, the foot that has been an offand-on problem for years, and particularly in recent weeks, Nadal has said repeatedly that he could not be sure whether each match at Court PhilippeChatrier might be his last.
During the trophy ceremony, Nadal thanked his family and support team, including a doctor who accompanied him to Paris, for helping him, because otherwise he would have needed to “retire much before.”
“I don’t know what can happen in the future,” Nadal told the crowd, “but I’m going to keep fighting to try to keep going.”
Nadal played crisply and cleanly, accumulating more than twice as many winners as Ruud, 37 to 16. Nadal also committed fewer unforced errors, making 16 to Ruud’s 26.
When it ended with a downthe-line backhand from Nadal, he chucked his racket to the red clay he loves so much and covered his face with the taped-up fingers on both of his hands.
No man or woman ever has won the singles trophy at any major event more than his 14 in Paris. And no man has won more Grand Slam titles than Nadal.