Rafael Nadal

Nadal extended his men's singles record of 22 Grand Slam titles with a win in straight sets over Casper Ruud.

His one genuine surge came at the start of the second set, when he broke Nadal’s serve again to take a 3-1 lead but at 30-30 in the next game, Ruud lined up an inside-out forehand and perhaps sensing that excellence was required, went for just too much and missed. Nadal was not at his best early and was at times far from his best: losing his serve in the third game with two double faults and an off-rhythm forehand unforced error into the middle of the net. That forced Nadal to take another extended break and miss most of the clay-court season before returning in Madrid last month. And there was Nadal, with his extreme topspin forehand and hard-wired combativeness. He certainly looked ready for more against Ruud, picking up speed and precision as the match progressed. That was before the final, and on Sunday afternoon after it was over in a hurry, Ruud made it clear in his runner-up speech his that he had not changed his mind. So many records. It just means a lot of energy to try to keep going.” “It means a lot to me, means everything. Carlos Alcaraz, a young Spaniard, seemed to be rising like a rocket. Nadal’s tone of late has been valedictory: he has repeatedly referred to the possibility that he could be playing his final French Open. But after slamming the door on Ruud on Sunday and then hugging him at the net, Nadal made it clear that this was not going to be the tennis equivalent of a walk-off grand slam. Novak Djokovic appeared to be regathering momentum.

Rafael Nadal has won his 14th French Open title, and 22nd grand slam in total, with 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 victory over Casper Ruud.

Ruud became locked deeper and deeper in his backhand corner, and most of the time he was unable to escape. Nadal missed break points in the opening game of the second set, and then double faulted on break point himself to trail 3-1. Under minimal pressure, Nadal eased through the set as the predictable pattern was established, Nadal laying waste to the Ruud backhand in the ad-court exchanges with his heavy topspin forehand. The outcome of his efforts have only reinforced what has been clear for well over a decade: as long as Nadal is fit enough to play freely, Nadal at Roland Garros is the closest thing in tennis to untouchable. Two days after his 36th birthday, and 17 years after first winning here as a precocious 19 year-old, Nadal has now won for long enough to also stand as the oldest French Open men’s champion in history, surpassing the 50-year record set by his countryman, Andres Gimeno, who was 34 years old. In recent years as he has edged ever closer towards the twilight of his career, Rafael Nadal has continually discussed his advancing age with total disdain.

Rafael Nadal beat Casper Ruud to win his 14th French Open title, becoming the oldest champion in Roland Garros history.

The foot pain caused Nadal to have retirement thoughts last year, when he ended his season early before the U.S. Open. Then he won the Australian Open in what he called the most unexpected achievement of his career. “For me, personally, very difficult to describe the feelings that I have,” Nadal said in his victory speech. Nadal’s march through the tournament may have been his most arduous. While Federer, at 40, hasn’t played in nearly a year, Djokovic has a chance to pass Nadal but would need to win majors at least into 2023. “I have been going through tough times the last couple of months.” Nadal authored the second-biggest blowout of his 30 Grand Slam singles finals to become the oldest champion in Roland Garros history.

The Spaniard made his Grand Slam debut in 2003 at Wimbledon and quickly rose up the ranks… In 2005 at the age of 19, Nadal defeated Mariano Puerta to become ...

The Spaniard had not won in Melbourne since 2009 and had feared a foot injury would force him into retirement but he recovered from two sets down to defeat Medvedev after more than five hours. 2018 – French Open, beat Dominic Thiem 6-4 6-3 6-2 2013 – French Open, beat David Ferrer 6-3 6-2 6-3 2012 – French Open, beat Novak Djokovic 6-4 6-3 2-6 7-5 2010 – French Open, beat Robin Soderling 6-4 6-2 6-4 2007 – French Open, beat Roger Federer 6-3 4-6 6-3 6-4

Rafael Nadal captured his 14th Roland Garros title and a record-extending 22nd Grand Slam trophy Sunday, overcoming Casper Ruud 6-3, 6-3, ...

"You are a true inspiration to me and everyone who follows tennis around the world. Nadal continued to have all the answers in the third set as he looked imperious on a court he has tasted so much success on. I hope we can continue this journey for many more years and you will be around me for many more years and hopefully more finals in Grand Slams.” “The most important thing is to congratulate Rafa. It is your 14th time here and 22nd [title] at Grand Slams,” Ruud said during the trophy ceremony. The 36-year-old scrambled around the baseline to force Ruud into hitting extra shots, before he pushed the World No. 8 deep into the backhand corner with his own power, rolling off five games in a row to move to within one set of victory. Following his triumph over the Norwegian, the Spaniard has become the third player to earn four Top 10 wins at a Grand Slam since the Pepperstone ATP Rankings started in 1973. After breaking for a 2-0 lead, the Spaniard suffered a slight dip in his second service game, double faulting twice, to give Ruud the opportunity to move onto the scoreboard, which he took. “Casper, it is a real pleasure to play a final with you here at Roland Garros,” Nadal said when addressing Ruud. “You are great. He cut down on errors and demonstrated great footwork to start to dictate on his forehand once again. “I just thank you very, very much for all the things you are doing for me and over the years. He hung in points, won the longer exchanges and produced an array of stunning passing shots off both wings to take further control, before racing clear in the third set to secure another memorable victory after two hours and 20 minutes. “Thank you to everyone who made this event possible.

Nadal swept aside Casper Ruud to record another victory at Roland Garros and claim his 22nd grand slam singles title.

“Today I got to feel how it is to play against you in a final. It means a lot of energy to try to keep going. I know there have been many before.” “It means everything to me. In the end it was a procession, with ‘Viva Espana’ blaring out from a band in the stands as Nadal added the Roland Garros trophy to the Australian Open he won earlier this year. It was a rude awakening for the underdog when he was broken straight away, and although Nadal let him off the hook with a loose service game, the opening set was soon in the bag.

Nadal, 36, won his 22nd Grand Slam title Sunday, two more than Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer for the most men's singles major titles.

This year, keeping up with the rapid-fire volleys of the sport’s latest controversy added to that challenge amid deeply held differences over what constitutes fair play during a global crisis. In a sharp rebuke to what they viewed as discrimination, the men’s and women’s pro tours announced that they would withhold ranking points from all Wimbledon competitors this year. Here are some numbers to help digest what’s at stake for the so-called “King of Clay” on Sunday. Rafael Nadal did extremely well to neutralize Casper Ruud’s forehand, arguably his most dangerous shot, through the first few games of the final. Nadal and Ruud have never played, but they do know each other well: Ruud has trained at Nadal’s academy in Spain for years and calls himself a big fan. There have been some ugly, wonky shots through this first set, but Rafael Nadal hasn’t had too much trouble staying steady against Casper Ruud, clearly the more nervous of the two. He’s got a lot more climbing to do. The last time he lost a tour final after winning the first set was 2014 in Rome against Novak Djokovic.— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) pic.twitter.com/zb9bcUsLje June 5, 2022 But he finally clinched the second set on set point No. 4 thanks to a double fault from Casper Ruud. Such has been the story of the match: even with errors, Nadal holds a comfortable lead. Rafael Nadal is pummeling Casper Ruud on the backhand side on his serve to keep him out of sorts. He may retire, having twice alluded to the possibility this may be his last French Open. Nadal covered his face in disbelief upon sending a backhand winner down the line to clinch the victory.

Following his win over Casper Ruud on Court Philippe Chatrier, Rafael Nadal revealed his triumph at Roland Garros was one of the most emotional and ...

I would love to see him with a trophy in the future.” “For me, what drives me to keep going is not about the competition to try to be the best or to win more Grand Slams than the others. “That's, for me, that's the most important thing in the sport. He's going to be the fourth in the [Pepperstone ATP] Race [To Turin] now. “Because I have no feelings on my foot, because my doctor was able to put anesthetic injections on the nerves. “I have been playing with injections on the nerves to sleep the foot, and that's why I was able to play during these two weeks.

Rafael Nadal says he will play at Wimbledon later this month if his body allows after the Spaniard won the French Open for the 14th time on Sunday.

If that does not work, then it's going to be another story. I am always a positive guy and always expect the things are going the right way. If I'm able to play with anti-inflammatories yes," Nadal said.

Rafael Nadal strengthened his lead in the Pepperstone ATP Race To Turin by capturing his 14th title at Roland Garros. The Spaniard is in pole position to ...

The man Nadal defeated in the Roland Garros final, Casper Ruud, surged four spots to fourth in the Race with 3,065 points. Alcaraz, the reigning Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals champion, strengthened his standing in second with 3,820 points as he tries to qualify for the first time. The lefty on Sunday extended his record number of major trophies to 21.

Rafael Nadal says he will play at Wimbledon later this month if his body allows after the Spaniard won the French Open for the 14th time on Sunday.

In terms of who is going to end up with the most amount of grand slams - a couple of years ago I would have said Djokovic for sure. "But right now, with that little bit of distance, I think Nadal has got a great chance. If that does not work, then it's going to be another story. I am always a positive guy and always expect the things are going the right way. It can happen once but no, it's not the philosophy of life I want to follow. "To play with anaesthetic injections, I do not want to put myself in that position again.

Nadal's victory came two days after his 36th birthday and made him the oldest title winner in the history of the clay-court tournament.

The two had never met in a real match until Sunday, when a championship, money, ranking points, prestige and a piece of history were on the line. He can now place this latest Coupe des Mousquetaires alongside the trophies he gathered at Roland Garros from 2005-08, 2010-14 and 2017-20. He considers Nadal his idol. The Spaniard's first triumph in Paris came in 2005 at age 19. He'd never even played in a major quarterfinal until now. Nadal also committed fewer unforced errors, making just 16 to Ruud's 26.