Tennis

Rafa Nadal: I will play at Wimbledon if my body allows me to

The Spaniard won the French Open on Sunday for a record-extending 14th time

Rafael Nadal celebrates after winning the French Open final against Casper Ruud of Norway in Paris on Sunday. Photograph: James Hill/The New York Times

Sun Jun 5 2022 - 19:47

French Open champion Rafa Nadal will play at Wimbledon later this month if his body allows him to, the Spaniard said on Sunday after winning Roland Garros for a record-extending 14th time.

"I am going to be in Wimbledon if my body is ready to be in Wimbledon. Wimbledon is not a tournament that I want to miss," said Nadal, who has been suffering from a chronic foot injury.

Nadal, a double Wimbledon champion, destroyed Norwegian Casper Ruud 6-3 6-3 6-0 to stay undefeated in Roland Garros finals.

The 36-year-old, who has won the season's first two majors, now owns a men's record 22 Grand Slam singles titles - two more than nearest rivals Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.

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Wimbledon starts on June 27th. Nadal explained that he had played Sunday’s final with a numbed foot thanks to a series of injections throughout the tournament, but that he would not go through a similar procedure again for the grasscourt Grand Slam.

"Wimbledon is a priority, always has been a priority. If I'm able to play with anti-inflammatories yes," Nadal said.

"To play with anaesthetic injections, I do not want to put myself in that position again. It can happen once but no it's not the philosophy of life I want to follow.

"Let's see. I am always a positive guy and always expect the things are going the right way. Let's be confident, let's be positive and let's see what's going on."

At the final in January's Australian Open, Nadal, who turned 36 on Friday, came from two sets down to beat Daniil Medvedev and bag a second title there.

A couple of months earlier he was even considering retiring after a foot problem that has troubled him throughout his career resurfaced, forcing him to miss much of the 2021 season including Wimbledon, the Olympics and the US Open.

He arrived in Paris with his own doctor to get through the tournament despite the injury.

Ruud, meanwhile, said he had found no answers when Rafa Nadal stepped up his game midway through the second set en route to a straight sets win on Sunday and a 14th French Open men’s title.

Ruud, in his first Grand Slam final, was 3-1 up in the second set but lost the next 11 games in a row, earning just 17 points in the process.

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“Well, I wish I knew the answers too, but I got a cheap break of serve I think in the second set and was up 3-1, and of course wanted to get the match going and maybe try to win the set,” said Ruud.

“But then he stepped up and he showed that when he needs to he plays great. It was tough for me to really know where I should play the ball. When you are playing defensive against Rafa on clay, he will eat you alive.”

The 23-year-old, who is the first Norwegian man to reach a Grand Slam final, is no stranger to his opponent’s game, having trained with him in Nadal’s academy in Mallorca.

But when his opponent lifted his game, Ruud was finished.

“It was tough for me to really know where I should play the ball because from both sides he has . . . two forehands because his backhand is also strong, even though it’s maybe a little bit weaker,” he said.

“On the forehand he plays with a little bit of spin and kind of feels like you’re playing a right-handed forehand. I didn’t know exactly where to play there in the end and he made me run around the court too much.”

For Ruud, however, who was in the stands in 2013 as a teenager to see Nadal win, playing his idol on Court Philippe Chatrier, where he has essentially ruled since 2005, will be a match he will cherish for ever.

“I wish I could make the match closer and all these things, but at the end of the day I can hopefully one day tell my grandkids that I played Rafa on Chatrier in the final, and they will probably say, ‘Wow, did you?’

“I will say ‘Yes’. I’m probably going to enjoy this moment for a long time.”

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