'Incredible' - Rafael Nadal gets unforgettable reception as he enters for French Open final with Casper Ruud
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Updated 05/06/2022 at 14:34 GMT
Sunday's men's showpiece at the 2022 French Open saw 13-time champion Rafael Nadal receive a spine-tingling reception as he walked onto Court Philippe-Chatrier for the final. The legendary Spaniard will take on his Norwegian apprentice, Casper Ruud, in the clash at Roland-Garros as he seeks a 14th title on his favourite stage with talk continuing to swirl about a potential retirement.
'Amazing atmosphere' - Watch as Nadal walks out to incredible reception for final
Rafael Nadal received an ovation he will likely never forget as he walked out onto the court for the French Open final with Casper Ruud.
The 13-time champion at Roland-Garros strode onto Court Philippe-Chatrier to a wild and warm reception ahead of the men's showpiece on the famous red dirt in Paris.
Talk of a potential retirement has been swirling around the tournament given Nadal's prolonged injury struggles and even the legendary Spaniard's own words about the pain he has to endure to compete at the highest level.
No player - besides perhaps the retiring Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, a true home favourite in Paris - can enjoy the kind of warmth of feeling that Nadal does at Roland-Garros given all he has achieved at the tournament, and that was reflected once again by the lengthy applause he received by the Parisian crowd.
It was a truly spine-tingling moment as Nadal walked on court and it set the stage perfectly for the final which is to ensue on Sunday to bring the 2022 edition of the clay-court Grand Slam to a close.
Eurosport's Tim Henman described the atmosphere as "absolutely incredible", while Alex Corretja added that it was "amazing".
Ruud, the eighth seed at Roland-Garros, has reached his maiden Grand Slam final in Paris and also came through the ranks at the Rafa Nadal Academy with the pair good friends.
The Norwegian, who moved to the academy in Mallorca in 2018, has spoken about how Nadal has "been my idol for all my life" after he secured his place in Sunday's showpiece after beating Marin Cilic in the semi-finals.
"Looking up to Rafa, the player I’m going to play in the final, he never complains," Ruud said in his on-court interview. "Perfect. He’s a perfect example of how you should be on court, never give up, never complain. He’s been my idol for all my life.
"It’s amazing, he’s the last player of the big three of the top players in the world I have never played against. This is perfect timing and worth the wait. To play him in the Grand Slam final will be a special moment for me, and hopefully, for him - he’s going to be playing a student from his academy. It’s going to be a fun one."
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'Absolutely incredible' - Henman and Corretja react to amazing atmosphere for final
Speaking before the match Rafa's uncle, Toni, shared with Eurosport his feelings of pride and "double joy" at seeing both Nadal and Ruud reach the pinnacle of the clay-court tennis world in Paris.
"Casper's evolution over these years has been extraordinary," he told Eurosport. "He reached his 150th and today he is one of the best players in the world.
"He has been in the top-10 for more than a year, he is one of the players who has progressed the most. He has done an impressive job with his father and I think we [the Academy] have collaborated. We are totally proud of this collaboration.
"We are lucky to have worked with one of the most educated tennis players on the professional circuit. We cannot be more than happy to see a player from the Academy reach the Roland-Garros final.
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WATCH - Nadal and Ruud arrive at Roland-Garros ahead of French Open final
“It is a great source of satisfaction that Rafa is in a new final, and it is a double joy because he is another player who has been trained here. I know it will be a difficult match for both of us, but if we have to lose with one… better to lose with Casper.
"And if Casper has to lose to someone, let it be Rafael. He already said at the time that he was his idol when he was a child. Now you have the chance to play the biggest game of the year on clay against him.
"We expect a great match and we'll see who manages to lift the trophy."
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