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Rafael Nadal triumphs for the 14th time at the French Open – and wants to keep fighting

Rafael Nadal has impressively defended his excellent reputation as clay court king in Paris. The Majorcan won the final of the French Open with a commanding 6:3, 6:3 and 6:0 against the overmatched Norwegian Casper Ruud. It was the 36-year-old’s 14th singles triumph in Paris.

His participation had long been on the line due to chronic foot complaints. After the final victory, Nadal dispelled the concerns of his large fan community: “I don’t know what the future holds, but I will continue to fight. One of the first on-court well-wishers was Spain’s King Felipe:

Naturally, the Spaniard extended his position as the Grand Slam record holder. He has now won a total of 22 of the top category tournaments. The tournament organisers also had a new nickname ready for him: Rafa-Garros

But no title may have been as valuable to him personally as this success over Ruud. In the on-court interview, Nadal confessed he never believed he could still be competitive at the age of 36.

Home win for French women’s doubles

There was also a home win to celebrate in Paris: in the women’s doubles final, France’s Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic defeated rivals Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula of the USA 2-6, 6-3, 6-2. Coco Gauff had lost her first singles final at a Grand Slam tournament the previous day to Iga Swiatek of Poland.

By Klaus