The duel between the teacher and his student will be Sunday’s men’s singles final at Roland Garros Tennis, where thirteen-time champion Rafael Nadal and newcomer to the grand slam final Nor Casper Ruud will face each other.
The world’s fifth player Nadal will attack the record 14th triumph two days after his 36th birthday in the Paris Clay Tournament and can consolidate his position as the most successful player of all time with the overall 22nd Grand Slam triumph. The Musketeers Cup match begins at 3 p.m.
Nadal, who worked with a chronic leg injury in front of Roland Garros, is fourteenth in the Paris finals. He won all the previous 13 matches for the title, last triumphing two years ago.
In this year’s quarterfinals, Nadal eliminated the reigning champion and world number one Serb Novak Djokovic in four sets. He advanced in the semifinals after the German Alexander Zverev injured his ankle at 7: 6, 6: 6 and had to give up. At Roland Garros, Nadal has 111 wins, losing in just three matches.
The Spanish “clay king” can win his second grand slam triumph this year after winning the Australian Open in January. A 22nd title would push its own historical high. Djokovic and Swiss Roger Federer have twenty.
Royal Garros is the second oldest finalist after 37-year-old Bill Tilden in 1930. If he succeeds on Sunday, he will become the oldest winner of the tournament in history.
“I fought and did everything I could to have another chance to play the Roland Garros finals. But when those moments happen, all the sacrifices I have had to make make sense,” Nadal said.
Ruud, 13 years younger, was the furthest in the grand slam so far in the 4th round of last year’s Australian Open. He has never encountered his role model Nadal on the ATP circuit, but since 2018 he has been training alongside his father and former Christian player at the Nadal Academy in Mallorca.
Ruud was only six years old when Nadal won his first Roland Garros title in 2005. “Casper has a great character to succeed in tennis. He is relaxed, humble and docile. I think we have been able to help him a little at the academy,” Nadal said.
The world’s eighth player, Ruud, became the first Norwegian in history to reach the grand slam final. He has not lost ten consecutive matches on the ATP circuit. Before Roland Garros, he won in Geneva.
The clay surface fits him, he won seven of the eight titles on it and since 2020 he has won 66 matches on this surface.
“Nadal is my life idol and this match will be a huge challenge for me. It will not be easy, but I will try to enjoy it. I know I will be an outsider, but I will try to fight. Today and tomorrow I will dream of big winners and memorable fights, because if I have a chance, I will have to show such a performance as well, but I have to believe that I can do it, “said Ruud after eliminating Marina Čilič from Croatia in four sets in the semifinals.
The winner of the singles will receive 2.2 million euros (roughly 54.3 million crowns), the losing finalist will receive half.
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