The Greatest and the Rookie – By Garuda

Rafael Nadal and French Open Tennis Champion will soon become synonyms. I highly recommend that Merriam-Webster’s editorial board consider the change. Yes, Nadal won his thirteenth French Open title on October 13, 2020.

Nadal has won 20 Grand Slam singles titles in total, and he’s tied for the most in history for a male player with Roger Federer. Nadal has won a record four US Open titles, thirteen French Open titles, two Wimbledon, one Australian Open title and two Olympic gold medals. Overall, he’s won 86 career titles, including the most outdoor titles and record 60 titles on clay courts. With 81 consecutive clay wins, Nadal holds the record for the longest single-surface win streak in the Open Era.

Contrary to the Nadal’s predictable greatness, we have a rookie Grand Slam champion in the women’s tennis. Teenager Iga Swiatek of Poland won the women’s French Open title and her first ever tour level title, by defeating the Australian Open champion Sofia Kennin. Swiatek is the first woman to triumph in Paris without ceding a set since Justine Henin in 2007, and even more surprisingly, she is the first teen to win the women’s title at the French Open since Iva Majoli in 1997. Congratulations, champions!

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