Rafael Nadal made history by defeating Casper Ruud in the final of the 2022 Roland Garros, winning his 14th Roland Garros title and 22nd Grand Slam trophy overall.
Rafael Nadal won his 22nd Grand Slam title in the French capital, pulling farther ahead of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer in the 'GOAT Race,' despite ups and downs during his clay-court preparation for the 2022 Roland Garros.
The Spaniard only lost three sets on his way to the title, two to Felix Auger-Aliassime and one to Novak Djokovic, and was dominant throughout the tournament despite his physical health being in doubt after suffering an injury only two weeks before the tournament started. Following his victory, Nadal said:
“For me having this trophy next to me again means everything. [It] has been [an] emotional victory, without a doubt. Unexpected in some ways. [I am] very happy. [It] has been a great two weeks. I played from the beginning, improving every day."
"Finishing [by] playing a good final. [I am] super happy and can't thank everybody enough for the support since the first day that I arrived here. [It is] very emotional.”
“I didn't want to talk about the foot during the tournament. I said I'm going to speak after the tournament, and now I can speak because I wanted to focus on my tennis and respect my rivals."
"I was able to play during these two weeks with extreme conditions. I have been playing with injections on the nerves to sleep the foot, and that's why I was able to play during these two weeks."
“Because I have no feelings on my foot, because my doctor was able to put anesthetic injections on the nerves. That takes out the feeling on my foot. But at the same time, it's a big risk in terms of less feelings, a little bit bigger risk of turning your ankle."
"So of course Roland Garros is Roland Garros. Everybody knows how much it means to me this tournament, so I wanted to keep trying and to give myself a chance here.”
"My worst moment in this tournament was after my 2R match against Moutet. I couldn't walk anymore. I had to have my foot anesthetized to be able to keep going. A special thanks to my doctor."
0 Comments