Nadal and his 13 titles against a newcomer to Roland-Garros

That doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to achieve more. It was not for this reason that he was still on the ground, at the age of 36, overwhelmed by chronic pain in his left foot that embarrassed him without warning, and ready to face a young wolf of 23 years. old, the Norwegian Casper Ruud, in the final. of the French Open, Sunday.

It’s not about what I have to prove. It’s about the pleasure you get from doing these things. If you don’t have fun anymore, it’s a different storySaid Nadal.

But if you like what you’re doing, go on (…) I continue to play because that’s what I want to do, that’s all, he continues. If I’m healthy to play, I still enjoy the competition.

Nadal, who celebrated his birthday on Friday, is the second oldest player to play in the final in Paris, after Don Budge, who was 37 years old when he finished second in 1930.

The oldest champion in history was Andres Gimeno, 34 years old in 1972.

I want to play in the best stadium in the world and feel that at my age I am still competitive. It means a lot to me. I become proud and happy for all the work done.

Although he shows no signs of slowing down, the past year has not been easy.

Nadal had to sit out in the last half of 2021 due to foot issues, missing Wimbledon, the Tokyo Olympics and the US Open.

He was able to win the Australian Open in January, leading the sole men’s lead with 21 grand slam titles, ahead of Roger Federer (discharged due to multiple knee surgeries) and Novak Djokovic (discharged because no one was vaccinated against COVID-19).

After this tournament, Nadal sustained a rib injury, in addition to clearly showing discomfort due to his foot injury at the Rome tournament last month.

I wasn’t very positive about my status after that. But I felt like I could play here. And here I am. I played, I fought, I did everything to give myself a chance to get here, said Nadal, who brought his personal doctor to Paris. And of course I’m happy that I gave myself the chance to play in the final here.

If Nadal has experience, the youth are on Ruud’s side, not to mention his recent big successes on clay: 66 wins and 7 titles since the start of 2020.

I’ll have to play my best tennis, said Ruud, who hasn’t passed the fourth round of a major before this week. But I also have to believe that I can.

Nadal was a perfect 13-0 in the final at Porte d’Auteuil. Ruud was a privileged witness to this sequence.

I can probably tell you about each finals, tell you who he lost, because I saw them all on TV, Ruud said, before scrolling through the list of Spanish victims. I can be proud to be part of this group, but I can still be proud that I defeated it.

Ruud, whose father Christian was a professional player from 1991 to 2001, considered Nadal his idol and had been training at Nadal Academy in Mallorca for four years.

If the two men hadn’t already faced off on the ATP circuit, they played several rounds of training against each other.

He always beats melaughed Ruud, adding that as a guest at the academy, he always felt the need to let his host win.

It was a special occasion for the two of us. He’s trying to win the 22nd grand slam tournament; me, me first. This is a big difference. I am the underdog and I plan to enjoy the moment.