Two weeks in which he overrode the laws of nature
Status: 5:05 p.m
Nadal wins the French Open for the 14th time
Rafael Nadal has done it again. The 36-year-old Spaniard has won the French Open for the 14th time. With his 22nd triumph in a Grand Slam tournament, Nadal extends the record in men’s tennis.
Rafael Nadal wins the French Open for the 14th time. The Spaniard justifies every superlative, is the greatest and will remain so. In Paris he accomplished a feat that surpassed all balance sheets and titles.
Dhe stock exchanges of the tennis world are in Melbourne, Paris, Wimbledon and New York. The values of the players are negotiated at the four Grand Slam tournaments, only titles won there decide on the size and radiance of a career. Boris Becker has six titles, John McEnroe seven, Jimmy Connors eight and Björn Borg eleven. When Pete Sampras collected his 14th trophy at the US Open 20 years ago, a legacy for eternity was celebrated.
Rafael Nadal now has 22, achieved amidst the prime years of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. His name is engraved 14 times on the plaque of honor at the Bois de Boulogne alone. In Paris he has a match record of 112:3, 335:34 expressed in sentences and yet without words. He justifies every superlative, is the greatest, will remain so – most professional careers last less than 14 years. And yet he now accomplished a feat that surpassed all balance sheets and series.
The king of the French Open – Rafael Nadal celebrates his 14th title in Paris
Which: AFP/ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT
After every championship, FC Bayern gets new players, new coaches, supplies itself with fresh strength and quality. However, Nadal cannot buy a new body. His triumph in Paris 2022 stands as a victory over the laws of nature. If willpower were measurable, it would have redefined the limit of what is humanly possible in the past two weeks. Not only because of his biblical tennis age of 36 years. The Spaniard simply no longer has a body that can withstand high-performance sport at the highest level. Actually.
Rafa is still a notch above the heir to the throne with one foot
The doctor he brought to Paris for his chronically injured foot could not prevent Nadal from having to stop training. In the tournament, the draw of which had marked the hardest possible path, he had to dose himself in order to be able to endure the pain alleviated by injections at all. But after his intense quarter-final against Djokovic, he was physically penniless.
Two Parisian landmarks – Nadal poses in front of the Eiffel Tower
What: AP/Michel Euler
The fact that it was Alexander Zverev’s twisted foot that decided the semifinals meant the bitter punchline of the tournament for his strongest challenger. For Nadal, however, the task was ultimately a reward for perseverance and iron will.
King Rafa is still a notch above the heir to the throne by a foot – that’s the essence of the two weeks of Paris. For himself too. “I would give the final for a new foot,” he said before the final. Not because he fears possible consequential damage. His bill is different. He wants more titles.
