Rafael Nadal, king of Roland-Garros for the fourteenth time!
Roland-Garros is a tennis tournament played on clay and, in the end, Rafael Nadal wins. For the fourteenth time in his career, the Spaniard triumphed at Porte d’Auteuil by winning the final on Sunday June 5 against the Norwegian Casper Ruud (6-3, 6-3, 6-0). This is obviously a record, one more for the Spaniard, when we doubted his physical condition before the tournament, because of a foot injury which had kept him away from the courts for many months last year. .
But Roland-Garros seems to have healing effects for “Rafa”. Arrived without reference in Paris, he created match after match, sending his first three laps, before returning to the area where he is the strongest: the fight. He first fought for five sets to defeat Canadian Félix Auger-Aliassime in the round of 16, then delivered a gladiator match to bring down world number 1 and defending champion Novak Djokovic in the night session. And what about this semi-final played at a level probably never reached in this edition, and which could have continued for hours without the injury of Alexander Zverev at the end of the second set.
In fact, this Sunday’s match was arguably the easiest game of Nadal’s second week at this Roland. Ultra-dominant, and greatly helped by the feverishness of a Casper Ruud who had never before played in a Grand Slam final, “Rafa” made the entry break despite some unusual unforced errors and quickly pocketed the first set. The second set was the turning point of the match: more offensive, the Norwegian managed to put his opponent in difficulty and take the advantage quickly. But Nadal remains Nadal, especially on the Parisian ocher. He did not delay to resume his late service and went directly to a new break, allowing him to complete the second set with the same score as the first (6-3).
Casper Ruud had missed his chance and Nadal did not give him the opportunity to get his head out of the water. Completely liberated, the Spaniard chained his huge topspin forehands to inflict a severe 6-0 in the last round on a Scandinavian completely lost in the immensity of the Philippe-Chatrier court. He could then take his head in his hands by turning to his clan: he won a twenty-second Grand Slam title (Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer are currently at 20), undoubtedly one of the most beautiful, both his foot injury worried him.
