Now at 36, he is the oldest, and he's still setting the bar higher and higher.

Nadal's 22 Grand Slams – four US Opens, two Wimbledons and two Australian Opens to go along with the 14 French Opens – are also most ever by a man, two more than both Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.Īt 19, Nadal was one of the youngest men to ever win the title at Roland Garros. Nadal's 14 French Open championships are eight more than the next-closest man, Bjorn Borg, in the Open Era. 'I know that there have been many before.' 'We all know what a champion you are, and today, I got to feel how it is to play against you in the final, and it's not easy, and I'm not the first victim,' Ruud said. Ruud, playing in his first Grand Slam final, made sure to pay tribute to one of his idols. 'It's something that I for sure never believed I'd be here at 36, being competitive again. 'For me personally, very difficult to describe the feelings that I have,' Nadal said on Court Philippe-Chatrier after the match. He's now a mind-boggling 112-3 all-time at Roland Garros, and he's never lost in a final. The match mercifully ended on a blistering Nadal winner down the line, and Nadal put his head in his hands as the weight of yet another French Open title hit him. The Spaniard was truly unrelenting in the third set, and Ruud was clearly worn down and out of answers, as so many have been before against Nadal at Roland Garros. The set ended on Ruud's first double-fault of the match. Throughout the match, Nadal made Ruud pay for missing first serves, and that was especially evident in the second set, when Nadal won nine of 12 points off Ruud's second serve. He stormed back in dominant fashion in the second set, winning five consecutive games to win the set 6-3. Then, in a not-so-stunning turn of events, given his history at Roland Garros, Nadal would not lose another game. Nadal fell behind by a break early in the second set and would trail 3-1.

Nadal, though, broke Ruud for a second time in two tries and did indeed cruise from there.

King of Clay x 14 👑 remains undefeated in Paris finals, conquering Casper Ruud 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 for a 14th title #RolandGarros /GctcC17Ah8- Roland-Garros June 5, 2022Īfter a comfortable hold and a break to start, it looked like Nadal would cruise through the first round, but Ruud came back with a break of his own to get back on serve.

French open final live score