13-time champ Nadal meets newcomer Ruud in French Open final

Spain's Rafael Nadal plays a shot against Germany's Alexander Zverev during their semifinal match at the French Open tennis tournament in Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France, Friday, June 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Rafael Nadal truly has nothing more to do to make clear his greatness on a tennis court. The 21 Grand Slam titles. The 13 championships on the red clay of the French Open alone.

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.

“It’s not about things that you need to prove. It’s about how much you enjoy doing what you are doing — or, if you don’t enjoy, then it’s another story,” said Nadal, who advanced when his semifinal opponent, third-seeded Alexander Zverev, needed to stop playing late in the second set after hurting his right ankle.

“But if you like what you are doing, you keep going. … I keep playing because I like what I do. So that’s it,” Nadal continued. “Of course I enjoy (it). And if I am healthy enough to play, I like the competition, honestly.”

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