French Open 2022: Five things we learned as Rafael Nadal and Iga Swiatek claim glory

Rafael Nadal won title number 14 with an injured foot, Amelie Mauresmo put her foot in it, and Iga Swiatek reigns supreme

Rafael Nadal won title number 14 with no feeling in his left foot, while Amelie Mauresmo put her foot in it.

Meanwhile Iga Swiatek reigns supreme in the women’s game after taking her winning streak to 35 matches.

Here we look at five things we learnt from the French Open.

Nadal’s numb footed

Rafael Nadal needed a series of injections just to get through the French Open (Christophe Ena/AP) (AP)

We already knew Nadal was pretty much invincible at Roland Garros; his frankly ridiculous record now reads 112 wins from 115 matches.  But we did not know the extent of the treatment he was receiving on a chronic foot injury just to enable him to play. After his final victory over Casper Ruud, he explained how he had his foot numbed by anaesthetic injections prior to every match, basically leaving him playing with no feeling in his left foot. The Spaniard will undergo new nerve treatment this week in a bid to be fit for Wimbledon.

Coco charms Roland Garros

Iga Swiatek, right, and Coco Gauff contested the women’s final (Thibatult Camus/AP) (AP)

Similarly, Swiatek was a huge favourite to claim the title, but the carnage behind her in the women’s draw was a sight to behold with the other nine of the top 10 seeds all eliminated before the second week. Thank goodness, then, for Coco Gauff, the 18-year-old who not only reached her first grand slam final but also won a legion of new admirers for using her platform to push for social change and call for an end to gun crime in America.

Dial Em for mediocre

Emma Raducanu lost to Aliaksandra Sasnovich of Belarus (Thibault Camus/AP) (AP)

Emma Raducanu’s fairy tale in New York is still fresh in the memory but the surprise US Open champion looks unlikely to win another grand slam any time soon. A second-round exit to world number 47, Aliaksandra Sasnovich, was another below-par showing, but it is important to remember that the 19-year-old was ranked in the high 300s this time last year. It was a tough French Open for all the Brits with only Cameron Norrie reaching the third round.

Mauresmo misses the mark

Amelie Mauresmo, right, had a tough first tournament (Michel Euler/AP) (AP)

Former Wimbledon champion Amelie Mauresmo has a lot to learn from her first year as tournament director. The night matches going on until after 1am were bad enough. But her startling admission that women’s tennis currently has less appeal than men’s was a major faux pas. Swiatek admitted she was “disappointed” by the comments, for which Mauresmo later apologised.

Wimbledon decimated

Alexander Zverev suffered ankle ligament damage at Roland Garros (Thibault Camus/AP) (AP)

The Wimbledon men’s field was already missing some top names with eight-time winner Roger Federer still likely to be absent, and Russian world number two Daniil Medvedev and number seven Andrey Rublev banned. Following Roland Garros world number three Alexander Zverev is injured and Nadal’s participation is uncertain. Ruud could be seeded as high as third at SW19 while Britain’s Cameron Norrie could be elevated to somewhere around eighth.