Alexandra Ferguson
(CNN) — With 14 French Open titles won, the sports world is running out of superlatives to describe Rafael Nadal.
For an athlete to be so successful in a single event is unprecedented, while Nadal has also set himself apart from Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic by winning 22 Grand Slam titles to his rivals’ 20.
Rafael Nadal wins his 14th Roland Garros title and enlarges his legend
“There are no words to describe this feat,” Federer’s coach Ivan Ljubicic said after the Spaniard’s straight-sets victory against Casper Ruud in Sunday’s French Open final.
“I don’t think good old Phillippe (Chatrier) cares that his court changes its name to Rafael Nadal’s: (a) statue is not enough.”
But Nadal, ever ready to downplay his achievements, believes his record at Roland Garros could one day be surpassed.
“I have always considered myself a very normal guy; if I did it, maybe someone else can do it,” she told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour on Monday.
“It is obvious that the record of 22 grand slams is something much more likely that someone could add to that record. I’m sure that will happen; 14 Roland Garros is something… very difficult”.
Nadal celebrates with his 14th French Open title.
In the 17 years between Nadal’s first title and his most recent French Open title, he has only lost three matches on the Paris courts: two against Djokovic, one in last year’s semi-finals, and one against Robin Soderling.
With Sunday’s win, Nadal, who turned 36 on Friday, became the oldest men’s champion at Roland Garros, and it was also the first time he had won the Australian Open and French Open in the same calendar year. , which allowed him to surpass the records of Federer and Djokovic in the Grand Slam.
“Of course, I want to be the player with (the most) grand slams in history, that’s competition,” Nadal said.
“But it’s not something that obsesses me and it’s not something that makes me change my mind… Honestly, it’s something that doesn’t bother me if Novak wins 23 and I keep 22. I think my happiness won’t change at all, not even a bit. One percent”.
1 of 14 | 2005: Rafael Nadal is crowned French Open champion for the first time by beating Argentina’s Mariano Puerta. Credit: Clive Mason/Getty Images 2 of 14 | 2006: Nadal beats Roger Federer for the first time in the Roland Garros final. Credit: ERIC FEFERBERG/AFP via Getty Images 3 of 14 | 2007: The final of the previous edition is repeated and the Spaniard beats the Swiss Roger Federer. Credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images 4 of 14 | 2008: For the third time in a row, Nadal defeats Federer in the French Open final and wins the cup for the fourth time in a row. Credit: Julian Finney/Getty Images 5 of 14 | 2010: Nadal beats Sweden’s Robin Soderling. Credit: BORIS HORVAT/AFP via Getty Images 6 of 14 | 2011: In another masterful chapter of the rivalry between Nadal and Federer, the Spaniard wins the championship for the sixth time. Credit: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images 7 of 14 | 2012: It is the first time Nadal has beaten Novak Djokovic in the clay court. Credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images 8 of 14 | 2013: Nadal beats his compatriot David Ferrer. Credit: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images 9 of 14 | 2014: Nadal again defeats Novak Djokovic, who until then had not won Roland Garros. Credit: MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP via Getty Images 10 of 14 | 2017: After two years of ‘drought’ in Paris, Nadal defeats Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka and wins his tenth French Open title. Credit: Adam Pretty/Getty Images 11 of 14 | 2018: The Spaniard is victorious against the Austrian Dominic Thiem. Credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images 12 of 14 | 2019: The final of the previous edition is repeated with Thiem and Nadal reaches 12 titles in Paris. Credit: Julian Finney/Getty Images 13 of 14 | 2020: In three straight sets, Rafa Nadal crushes Djokovic and wins the 13th championship in France. Credit: Julian Finney/Getty Images 14 of 14 | 2022: At 36 years old, the Spaniard won his fourteenth title after a comfortable final against the Norwegian Casper Ruud in three straight sets. Credit: Brunskill/Getty Images
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playing injured
The events leading up to this year’s French Open are likely to make this title seem especially special, and no less unlikely, for Nadal.
At last month’s Italian Open, he withdrew from the tournament against Denis Shapovalov in the round of 16 while battling a foot injury, an ongoing problem that Nadal said required daily injections at the French Open in order to continue playing and training.
This meant that he played the final without any feeling in his foot.
“After the pandemic, something happened to my foot. I am not able to bear the pain to play often and even train,” said Nadal, who has been plagued by injury problems throughout his career.
“The only thing I can say is that going through all these challenges, I always keep the passion to keep going and always keep the love for the game,” he added. “I have always wanted to move on. That’s probably why I’m in the position I’m in today.”
Nadal holds up La Coupe des Mousquetaires (The Musketeers’ Cup) at Roland Garros.
At Sunday’s news conference, Nadal said he would undergo a “radiofrequency injection” into the nerve in his foot in an attempt to ease the pain and continue playing.
Whether he competes at Wimbledon later this month hinges on the success of that treatment, and for now, his long-term future in the sport is unclear.
“I have never had it in my mind (plans) to announce any withdrawal after this event, but of course there is a possibility that things will not improve,” he said. “So I don’t know what can happen.”
Is the ‘king of clay’ now just ‘the king’?
Winning the first two grand slams of the year means that Nadal, for the first time in his career, can potentially win a grand slam by triumphing at Wimbledon and the US Open in the same year.
It’s a feat that Djokovic came within a match of completing last year, and one that no male player has accomplished since Rod Laver in 1969.
“The chances are slim in this health situation,” tennis journalist Christopher Clarey told CNN Sport’s Christina Macfarlane on Monday about the likelihood of Nadal triumphing at the next two Grand Slams.
“Wimbledon is no longer their best surface; He hasn’t won for a long time. But how is he not going to try if he is healthy?
Nadal plays a forehand against Ruud in the French Open final.
Even if the number of Grand Slam wins doesn’t increase, it will be impossible to question Nadal’s status as one of the greatest to have ever played the sport. And in time, “the king of clay” may be remembered simply as “the king”.
“I have achieved my dream and I enjoy what I do,” said Nadal, who remains unconcerned about how he ranks among his peers.
“I know that the press and people always care a lot about these things, but in a way, I am an important part of the history of the sport and that makes me proud and happy.”
“In the end, it doesn’t matter much.”
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