Rafael Nadal wins 13th French Open somehow
Despite all tennis events being cancelled or postponed due to coronavirus, Rafael Nadal has somehow won the French Open yet again, extending his own record for most victories at the same slam to 13.
The ATP tour has been put on hold for months now due to fears surrounding the spread of coronavirus or COVID-19, the deadly respiratory virus that has swept the globe and caused the World Health Organization to declare a pandemic.
But as the four slams (the sport's most prestigious tournaments) are separate from the respective tours, they are not bound by the rules ATP or the Women's Tennis Association (WTA).
In fact, French Open organisers had initially stated that they had no intention to postpone or cancel the event at Roland Garros. But with fears escalating and cases increasing across the world, it was then decided to postpone the tournament until at least September.
That decision was heavily criticised by players and commentators as well, so tournament director Guy Forget announced at a press conference this morning that a decision had been made to just cancel the tournament and give the trophy to Rafael Nadal, on the very same day he would have most likely won the tournament anyway.
"As time has passed and the severity of coronavirus has become clear, we have decided that the tournament will not be going ahead as planned this year.
"However, our team spent many weeks running tests, simulating over 1,000 potential draws, and based on our findings it was plainly obvious that Rafael Nadal was going to win the title again anyway. So, we have decided to award him his 13th trophy, which will be given to him at a closed ceremony at Roland Garros that viewers can watch live on Eurosport on 7th June.
"We now look forward to next year and hope that Nadal, Federer and Djokovic might give someone else a chance to win a slam. It's getting boring for us now."
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