PARIS (AP) — Rafael Nadal’s status for Wimbledon is in doubt because of a chronic problem with his left foot — as is his future in tennis. What’s secure, no matter what happens now, is his legacy.
Nadal got through the French Open, he explained after a dominating 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 victory over Casper Ruud in Sunday’s final earned a 14th championship at Roland Garros and 22nd Grand Slam title overall, thanks to the help of a series of numbing injections in his foot.
That, he says, was a one-time deal.
“I don’t want to put myself in that position again,” Nadal said after becoming, at age 36, the oldest champion in the history of a clay-court tournament that was first held in 1925. “Can happen once. But no, it’s not a philosophy of life that I want to follow.”