Rafael Nadal won a 14th French Open with daily pain-killing injections in his troublesome left foot and will now attempt to find a permanent cure for the injury, warning his record-breaking career is on the line.
Nadal, 36, routed Casper Ruud 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 in Sunday's final at Roland Garros to extend his Grand Slam title record to 22, with victory coming 17 years to the day since he claimed his first French Open as a 19-year-old in 2005.
The oldest winner in Paris, he had not been certain of taking part after a chronic left foot injury, which has plagued him throughout his career, flared up again.
In the aftermath of Sunday's victory, Nadal revealed he and his medical team are facing a potentially make-or-break week. "It's obvious that with circumstances that I am playing, I can't and I don't want to keep going.