Nadal’s future in doubt after winning French Open

Rafael Nadal beat Casper Ruud 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 in the French Open final for his 14th championship at Roland Garros.

It was his 22nd Grand Slam title overall.

Nadal won the last 11 games after trailing 3-1 in the second set.

Nadal’s victory Sunday came two days after his 36th birthday.

Breaks 2 major records

It made him the oldest title winner in the history of the clay-court tournament.

Nadal’s first triumph here came in 2005 at age 19.

No man or woman ever has won the singles trophy at any major event more than his 14 in Paris.

And no man has won more Grand Slam titles than Nadal.

He now is two Grand Slams ahead of rivals Roger Federer, who hasn’t played in almost a year due to knee surgery.

Nadal has also won two more than Novak Djokovic, who missed the Australian Open in January because he is not vaccinated against COVID-19.

The eighth-seeded Ruud is a 23-year-old from Norway who was playing in his first Grand Slam final.

Might miss Wimbledon

Nadal revealed that he needed multiple injections to dull the pain in his left foot before matches throughout the tournament.

He admitted that unless he can find another solution for the chronic problem, he may not be able to play at Wimbledon.

Also, he isn’t sure about his future in tennis.

Nadal had been receiving anaesthesia injections in the foot during the match that left it feeling numb.

Nadal added: “It’s obvious that I can’t keep competing with the foot asleep.”

So he will be trying out new treatments and if those do not work, Nadal said, then he will need to consider having surgery.

Nadal might even retire

The 21-time champion has already sparked retirement fears after admitting during his quarter-final against Novak Djokovic could be his “final match” at the French Open.

Despite winning the match in four sets, he said that it could be his last appearance in Paris, saying: “I am old enough to not hide things or come here and say something I don’t believe.”

“I have what I have in the foot, so if we aren’t able to find an improvement or a small solution then it’s becoming super difficult.”

The 36-year-old has since said he still hopes to be back but has learned that there is no guarantee because of his Mueller-Weiss syndrome.

With Nadal, Federer and Djokovic in the twilight of their careers, it seems like the end of an era.

The three champions won sixty two Grand Slam singles titles amongst themselves, surely an achievement that will remain unmatched in the history of tennis.