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You’ve seen? If not, don’t be embarrassed. Everything ended quickly.
If so, congratulations on learning the story.
Rafael Nadal got his thirteenth title in the French Championship. He lost zero sets in seven matches, of which the seventh, poetically, became the 100th victory at the French Open for the Spaniard. In total, he has won 20 Grand Slam titles, which means that he, along with Roger Federer, has the most in the history of men’s tennis.
Records and numbers are one thing. The way Nadal wins, and perhaps especially who he wins against, is something else.
Novak Djokovic is number one in the world. Many consider him the best male tennis player in history. He’s in very good shape. No one except himself had beaten him in the 39 games he played this year before Sunday’s final.
Sometimes when the Serbian plays better, he can look up, like a wild animal, sometimes to mark who decides, sometimes to signal that there is a mark on the way.
Today he showed his gaze, for just over two minutes. Then he realized what was about to happen. Then the hope was gone.
Nadal played with one apparent determination. There was no alternative to profit. He threw seven paper clips, one smaller than the one he took in the final match against Djokovic in Melbourne 2019. It is naive to think that this humiliation was not a driving force for the Spaniard: you don’t win 20 Grand Slam titles without hating to lose.
But that doesn’t tell the whole story.
When Nadal was asked a week ago about his form, he replied, as usual, that he had to give his best at all times.
– First of all for us, because we are lucky to be able to play tennis in these conditions all over the world.
– Otherwise because there are many who suffer in the world. At least when we fight, we create a good show for the people sitting at home.
May seem arrogant, absolutely. It may be an escape or a diversionary maneuver, because the pressure is too great or because the head is about to become too large.
But the clairvoyance about what the sport is, which he also repeated after Sunday’s final, is rare for a player of Nadal’s caliber.
And perhaps the purpose that transcends the framework of sport is the strongest engine for a player who has won it all? Sunday’s performance suggests it.
