It was expected that Nadal would dominate on clay courts. His path to the title is Jordanesque, Ruthian, or any of the GOAT athletes of the last century.
It has been 17 years since Nadal won his first Grand Slam. The French Open crown is still present even though the king of clay is balding. It was Nadal's 14th win in a French Open final. His victory was unassailable. The routine was written into the script. The 36-year-old Spaniard has won every French Open Final he has ever been a part of, and has won 112 of 115 matches at the tournament. He has eight more French Open titles than Bjorn Borg, who had six French slams.
Borg could not have imagined that Nadal would dominate the clay courts and the hard courts as well. Nadal has been given a monopoly over the Grand Slams because of his vaccine resistance and the age of his opponent. The closest equivalents to Nadal's reign at the French Open are the two men who dominated at the Australian and Wimbledon. In the Open Era, the most titles won at a single Grand Slam by a single player are by the two players mentioned.
There was a chance that Nadal would win his second Australian Open. Winning the Australian and French Open in the first half of the 21st century has made a huge difference in the men's grand slam title race. Nadal is the most prolific men's slam champion in the Open Era with 22 Grand Slams.
The reigning champion was expected to be Nadal's main opponent, but he wiped the floor with him in the quarterfinals. During the semifinals against Nadal, Alexander Zverev tore the ankle ligaments and had to withdraw. At the time of his ankle injury, the 25-year-old German was down one set after a 6-7, 6-9 start against Nadal.
Chronic left foot pain has been caused by Nadal's battle with Mller-Weiss disease for almost two decades. He was forced to withdraw from the U.S. Open in order to rehabilitate his foot. At the Italian Open, Nadal was knocked out in the first round. Before the French Open, Nadal told the media that he would retire if he lost Sunday's final.
In an interview with Eurosport, Nadal said that he played the French Open final with no feeling in his left foot because of an injection.
He sounded confident that he would compete at Wimbledon. Only male players have won three consecutive Grand Slams in a year. He will be able to do it in a field that banned Russian and Belorussian contests.
If he were to win a 23rd Grand Slam, he would be on par with Serena Williams. If Nadal returns for a 15th promenade, he will be the favorite. He would be the second oldest male Grand Slam champion in history.
The most unique star in the tour's history is Nadal. Because clay courts are considered the secondary surface on the tour, his career earnings are only half of Roger's. On hard courts, Nadal is a great player, but on clay, he is unstoppable. It doesn't seem like he'll be ousted from the throne of the French Open anytime soon.
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