French Open 2022: Rafael Nadal aims to become oldest champion against maiden finalist Casper Ruud-Sports News , Firstpost

Rafael Nadal will become the oldest Roland Garros champion if he beats Casper Ruud, a player he has indirectly nurtured, in the final on Sunday. The Spaniard will take the court for the 14th time in a French Open final, where he is 13-0, and Ruud for only the first.

Nadal, a 13-time champion, someone who has won the title here in his teens, 20s and now 30s is an exception to the clay’s unpredictability. Before Nadal’s domination started in 2005, French Open crowned new champions in the form of Albert Costa, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Gaston Gaudio. In the 17 years since, Nadal has won 13 times with the rest going to Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic (who Nadal beat in the quarter-final) and Stan Wawrinka.

There is nothing that Nadal has to prove. Many before and after him have put their feet up by the time they turn 36 years old. And yet he finds joy in stepping out on the court, in making the second Sundays, in putting his body through the grind. And his body has been through hell and back. To the extent that the Spaniard defiantly admitted he would swap the French Open title for a new left foot if it were possible.

“It’s not about things that you need to prove. It’s about how much you enjoy doing what you are doing — or, if you don’t enjoy, then it’s another story,” said Nadal, who advanced when his semi-final opponent, Alexander Zverev, was forced to retire after twisting his ankle.

“But if you like what you are doing, you keep going. … I keep playing because I like what I do. So that’s it,” Nadal continued. “Of course I enjoy (it). And if I am healthy enough to play, I like the competition, honestly.”

The Nadal story is incomplete without mentioning the injuries. The chronic pain that flares up in his left foot ever so often, did so again last month in Rome. To the degree that Nadal hobbled and was barely able to finish against Denis Shapovalov. There were question marks over his fitness and ability to even play in Paris – let alone win the title.

“I was not very positive after that about my foot, but I was positive that I will be able to play here. And here I am. I played, I (fought), I did all the things possible to give myself at least a chance to be where I am,” said Nadal, who brought his personal doctor with him to Paris, “and happy, of course, to be able to give myself another chance to play on the (last) Sunday here.”

Despite Zverev’s big hitting and impressive tennis, Nadal still remained an imposing figure to beat. He saved four set points and came out on top in a lung-busting 44-shot rally.

“We rely on the experience factor, on Rafa’s game. Here, it’s Roland Garros and he’s Rafa Nadal!” said his coach Carlos Moya. “He’s a player who, since he was 17, and with all the injuries he’s had, and all those months out, has always come back and always won.”

“He sharpens up during the first two or three rounds of a Grand Slam, he finds his form, and once he is in the round of 16 or in the quarters, he becomes the Rafa we all know,” Moya added.

So far the foot has held up quite well despite being on court for 11 hours in the last three matches. Nadal needed five sets to beat Felix Auger-Aliassime, over four hours to down Novak Djokovic and had spent another three hours in two sets before Zverev’s horrific injury occurred.

Casper Ruud flies under the radar

If Nadal has experience and age on his side, Ruud has youth. The 23-year-old has largely flown under the radar while Stefanos Tsitsipas, Daniil Medvedev exited from the bottom half and Marin Cilic made a surging run. Ruud’s strong hitting and consistency from the baseline was rewarded ahead of Cilic’s errant game that produced forehand errors and missed smashes aplenty in the semi-final.

Ruud, who is the first player from Norway to reach the French Open final, also has form on his side. He is the tour’s in-form clay court player with 66 matches won on the surface since 2020 which has earned him seven titles while contesting eight finals. All of them have been ATP 250 events – far cry from what he’s about to embark upon on Sunday.

“I will need to play my best tennis ever,” said Ruud, whose previous best at a Grand Slam was the fourth round. “But I still have to believe that I can do it.”

Ruud was just six years old when Nadal won his first French Open title and describes the Spaniard as his “idol”.

“I could probably tell you all the finals and who he has played and who he has beaten, because I watched them all on TV,” Ruud said, and then proved it by going through a list of the opponents. “To be a part of that group myself is something I can always brag about after my career. I will, of course, give it a shot at the title, and would be nicer to be able to brag about the title, as well, after my career.”

Ruud and Nadal have never met professionally but the Norwegian has plenty of experience of hitting with Nadal on a clay court. Ruud has been training at Nadal’s academy in Manacor since 2018 alongside his father Christian, a former top 40 player, and Spaniard Pedro Clar.

“He always, pretty much, has always beaten me,” Ruud said with a smile, then joked that, as a guest at the academy, he felt he needed to let his host win.

For Ruud, win or lose, this is a big moment. “This is a special occasion for both of us. He’s playing for his 22nd; I’m playing for my first. Big contrast,” Ruud said. “I’m the underdog, and we will just enjoy the moment.”

Expert speak

“Ruud has earned his way to the title match and Nadal is someone who has never taken his competitors lightly. He’s respected them, I’m sure he’s studying him as would his team of Marc Lopez and Carlos Moya. Nadal is going to be mindful of Ruud who is very fit, very focused. So Nadal will be vary but the matchup certainly favours him – no question about it. At the end of the day, Rafa is going to focus on his job and the strategy will be set,” said Somdev Devvarman who is a pundit on Sony Network.

Stats zone

Rafael Nadal is into his 14th French Open final where he is 13-0. This is his 30th final overall at Grand Slams.

Nadal is chasing a record-extending 22nd major and 14th French Open, 17 years after his title winning debut in Paris.

Nadal’s record at the French Open now stands at 111 wins and just three losses

Victory on Sunday will make Nadal the tournament’s oldest champion, eclipsing 34-year-old compatriot Andres Gimeno who took the title 50 years ago

Victory for Nadal will give him the Australian Open-French Open double in the same year for the first time

Casper Ruud is the first Norwegian to reach a Grand Slam final.

Robin Soderling, a fellow Scandinavian to Ruud, is the only other man apart from Djokovic to have defeated Nadal in Paris back in 2009.

TV guide

Watch Roland Garros 2022 – Men’s Singles Final LIVE on SONY SIX, SONY TEN 2 (English), SONY TEN 3 (Hindi) and SONY TEN 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels on 5th June 2022 from 6:30 pm IST

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