There are three certainties in life: death, taxes and Rafael Nadal winning the French Open. The Spaniard took his 14th title at Roland Garros on Sunday by beating Casper Ruud in a straight line, taking his record number of Grand Slam collections to 22. Nadal, the oldest ever champion in Paris at 36, now has 112 match wins over the famous broken red brick against just three defeats in 17 years. “He’s a great champion, he’s humble. He’s the best athlete I’ve ever seen in a sport,” said another tennis legend, John McEnroe, in January when Nadal won the Australian Open.
You’ll never hear Nadal enjoy similar self-praise, though.
Equally happy fishing or golfing in Manacor, Nadal is relentless on the tennis court, but disarmingly humble.
“I have doubts every day, but that’s good because it makes me work harder and more intensively,” said Nadal, whose career is constantly beset by knee, wrist and foot injuries.
“Life is never clear. If you have no doubts, then you are very arrogant. I am not an arrogant person.”
It’s that genuine modesty that endears Nadal to his legion of fans, as well as his respect for opponents.
respect
He cheers on every enemy defeated off the field at every tournament.
When Alexander Zverev had to retire with an ankle injury in Friday’s semi-final, Nadal stuck with his tearful German rival in the medical room.
“If you’re human, you have sympathy for a colleague,” he explained.
Nadal’s quirks are just as charming to his supporters, even if the time it takes him to complete his rituals can distract opponents.
Picking the back of his shorts and mopping his forehead, in line with his obsessive dedication to lining up his water bottles, with the labels facing out, are part of Nadal’s DNA.
His Grand Slam resume now has 14 French Opens, four US Open titles, two at Wimbledon and two at the Australian Open.
His victory in the 2008 Wimbledon final over Roger Federer is widely regarded as the greatest final ever at the majors.
He has a total of 92 career titles, 63 of which are on clay. In addition to his 22 majors, he owns 36 Masters.
Gold in singles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics was followed by gold in doubles at the 2016 Rio Games. He also led Spain to five Davis Cups.
Together with Federer and Novak Djokovic, he has well passed the $100 million mark in prize money.
Tennis has been good for Nadal, but he has been just as influential as a key driver of the sport’s growth.
“Great Champion”
“I could probably tell you all the finals and who he played and who he beat, because I’ve seen them all on TV,” Ruud said in the run-up to Sunday’s final.
Nadal won a regional under-12 title at age eight and captured Spanish and European junior titles in the age group at age 12.
By the age of 15 he had turned professional and two years later he won his first game against Federer.
At the age of 19, he won the 2005 French Open on his debut.
Nadal won Wimbledon in 2008 and 2010, an Australian Open title in 2009, and completed the Grand Slam career in 2010 by beating Djokovic in the US Open final.
Injuries have taken their toll throughout his career, but have cost him numerous Slam appearances, including Wimbledon and the US Open last year.
A recurrence of a chronic left foot injury that plagued him throughout his career caused him to nearly miss Paris this year as well.
So painful that Nadal said he would rather lose Sunday’s final in exchange for a new foot.
However, he has been here before.
After failing even to reach a Grand Slam semifinal in 2015 and 2016, many thought his best days were behind him.
promoted
But Nadal roared into the 2017 Australian Open final, losing to Federer and capturing a 10th French Open crown in June of that year, paving the way for another title run at the Flushing Meadows a fortnight at the US Open in September. .
“Never underestimate a great champion. Your incredible work ethic, dedication and fighting spirit are an inspiration to me and many others around the world,” said Federer when Nadal shared the 20 Slams equalizer in January that he shared with the Swiss and Djokovic.
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