Rafael Nadal won his 14th French Open title on Sunday after Iga Swiatek continued her remarkable winning run to win the women’s trophy. The 36-year-old came through a grueling tournament of energy-consuming matches against Felix Auger-Aliassime, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev before beating Casper Ruud in the final. But Nadal will go to the treatment table next week as he appears to be recovering from a chronic left foot problem in time to play at Wimbledon. Nadal, who would come to the All England Club for the first time in his career who is still on track for a Grand Slam on the calendar, said he still has hopes of being able to compete.
“If it (the treatment) works, I’ll keep going. If not, it’s a different story,” said the two-time Wimbledon champion.
He has won two Grand Slam titles this season to stay clear in the race to finish on the all-time list above Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. Nadal was given injections to play at Roland Garros, but insists he will not continue down that road.
“If I can play with anti-inflammatories, yes; play with anesthetic injections, no. I don’t want to put myself in that position again.”
However, before returning to the treatment table, Nadal had the chance to pose with the French Open trophy, named “La Coupe des Mousquetaires”,the English translation for what†The Musketeers’ Cup, with the beautiful Eiffel Tower in the background.
Paris @Rafael Nadal #Roland Garros pic.twitter.com/71nmstCdy9
— Roland Garros (@rolandgarros) June 6, 2022
The Musketeers Cup has been awarded to the winner of the men’s singles since 1981 and is a tribute to the four musketeers of French tennis: Jean Borotra, Jacques Brugnon, Henri Cochet and René Lacoste.
“A silver bowl surrounded by vine leaves and decorated with two swan-shaped handles. The trophy is mounted on a marble base in which the names of the winners have been engraved since 1891”, the official Roland Garros website reads.
promoted
It will be interesting to see if veteran duo Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal return to the Wimbledon lawns to challenge Novak Djokovic or not.
(With AFP inputs)
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