That’s not to say he doesn’t want to achieve more, of course. Still, it’s not why he is still out there, at age 36, bothered by chronic pain that flares up in his left foot every so often, and ready to face 23-year-old Casper Ruud of Norway in the men’s final at Roland Garros on Sunday.
Nadal, whose birthday was Friday, is the second-oldest man to get to the title match in Paris; Don Budge was 37 when he was the runner-up in 1930. The oldest champion in tournament history was Andres Gimeno, 34 when he won in 1972. “I was not very positive after that about my foot, but I was positive that I will be able to play here. And here I am. I played, I , I did all the things possible to give myself at least a chance to be where I am,” said Nadal, who brought his personal doctor with him to Paris, “and happy, of course, to be able to give myself another chance to play on the Sunday here.”
Nadal is 13-0 in French Open finals, capturing the trophy in his teens, his 20s and his 30s — and Ruud was paying close attention.