Rafa Nadal raised his arms, threw the racket, some tears fell down his cheeks… The 22nd Grand Slam title, the 14th Roland Garros, was already in his possession and the 36-year-old Balearic had completed a job reminiscent of the 12 trials of Hercules. Minutes later, the Spaniard took the floor at the trophy award ceremony after defeating the Norwegian Casper Ruud 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 after chaining eleven consecutive games.
“Casper, it is a pleasure to play a Roland Garros final with you, I want to congratulate you on the career you are having and for these two weeks. I am happy for you and your family, I wish you the best for the future”, Nadal began before address yours: “Team, family, the things that are happening this year are incredible, I want to thank you for everything, without you none of this would be possible. Especially in difficult times, during injuries your support helps me a lot, without it I would have retired a long time ago . Thanks to everyone who makes this event possible, for me it is the best tournament in the world and being here you make me feel at home”.
The winner of 22 Grand Slams, 14 Roland Garros, gave an answer to what everyone wanted to hear: “Personally, It is very difficult to describe the feelings I have. I never thought I’d be here at 36 years old being competitive, playing once again on the biggest court of my career. It gives me a lot of energy to keep going, thanks to Paris and everyone. For me, it is incredible to play here, it is very beautiful. I don’t know what will happen in the future, but I will continue fighting.”