Rafael Nadal has insisted he has no plans to retire anytime soon after winning a remarkable 22nd Grand Slam men's singles title.
Nadal, who turned 36 on Friday, won the French Open for a record-extending 14th time with a straight sets victory over Casper Ruud in the final. It was an excellent display from the Spaniard, who has struggled with injury problems, but defied them to extend his incredible record once again.
There were suggestions he could announce his retirement after the final but Nadal instead vowed to "keep fighting to try to keep going", despite admitting he played with "no feeling" in his foot.
Addressing the crowd after his win, Nadal said: "You make me feel like home. For me personally, it is very difficult to describe the feelings that I have.
"It's something that I never believed; I would be here at 36, being competitive again, playing in the most important court of my career one more time in a final. I don't know what can happen in the future but I am going to keep fighting to try to keep going, so thank you!"
In a separate interview with Eurosport, Nadal opened up about his fitness struggles. "As everyone knows in the world of tennis, my preparation was not ideal," he said.
"Outside of the practice courts I was off the Tour for one month and a half with a stress fracture in the rib and then I have the foot that is something that stays there all the time. I had my doctor here with me.
"I don't know how to say in English the thing that we did but we played with no feeling on the foot, with an injection on the nerve, so the foot was asleep. That's why I was able to play."
Having now won both the Australian Open and the French Open this year, Nadal could become just the third man to win all four Grand Slam singles titles in a calendar year.
