French Open 2022 LIVE: Result as Rafael Nadal wins 22nd grand slam title by beating Casper Ruud
Follow for live reaction from Roland Garros as the King of Clay once again ruled supreme with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 over Ruud
Follow live reaction after Rafael Nadal defeated Casper Ruud to win a record-extending 14th French Open and 22nd grand slam title, in what is perhaps the toughest and most remarkable triumph of the Spaniard’s storied career at Roland Garros.
At 36, Nadal becomes the oldest French Open champion in history and his victory on the Paris clay comes just weeks after his participation in the tournament was thrown into doubt due to a painful foot injury.
It left Nadal admitting throughout his run to the title that this French Open could be his last and heightened the drama as he survived marathon matches against Felix Auger-Aliassime and then his great rival Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals.
Nadal progressed to a 30th grand slam final after his opponent Alexander Zverev suffered a horrific ankle injury in Friday’s semi-final, with the players still yet to complete the second set after three hours on court.
But Nadal recovered physically and the final was rather more straightforward, as the Spaniard used his experience to dispatch the 23-year-old Ruud 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 on what was the Norwegian’s first appearance in a grand slam final. Follow reaction from the French Open men’s final, below:
French Open: *Nadal 5-3 Ruud
Ruud gets his hands on some new balls as he serves to stay in the set. A couple of beautiful forehands sends Nadal running as he puts away the winner to move to 30-0.
Nadal comes into the net and shows a lovely touch to make the volley - as a stat flashes up to show he’s won all eight of his net points so far.
Ruud responds with a lovely dipping volley of his own after following up on the forehand.
40-15, and Ruud stays in it as Nadal pushes a forehand wide.
Nadal will have to serve for it.
French Open: Nadal 5-2 Ruud*
Ruud is not trusting his backhand as he runs around two balls from Nadal and puts one into the net. Nadal ups the pressure on the forehand and the sliding lob from Ruud drifts long. A window then opens for Nadal to dispatch a forehand winner down the line, after pinning Ruud back into the opposite corner.
Ruud makes it awkward as he finds the baseline and then tramlines to make Nadal run, suddenly getting himself back to 40-30.
Ruud then reads the Nadal drop shot but can’t do enough with the volley across court, as Nadal puts the winner away down the line.
French Open: *Nadal 4-2 Ruud
There’s quite a different feel to his opening set to the fraught tension and strain of the previous matches against Djokovic and Zverev, and Nadal is freeing up as he unleashes a perfect forehand into the corner. Ruud hits back with a lovely drop shot that catches Nadal off guard but a grunt and a forehand winner later it’s back to 30-30.
Ruud finds his best serve of the match so far - and he gets his first hold of the match as Nadal then pushes a backhand wide.
French Open: Nadal 4-1 Ruud*
There’s more of that authority from Nadal, who quickly wins the first two points on his serve and then steps in to put away a forehand winner past Ruud.
Ruud replies with his best backhand of the match that sends Nadal stretching and this time he puts away the forehand smash.
But he can’t do anything with the big serve down the middle from Nadal, who moves into a 4-1 lead.
French Open: *Nadal 3-1 Ruud - Nadal breaks!
Nadal got his nose in front on Ruud’s next service game but the 23-year-old replies with a fine forehand winner down the line. He loses the technique on the next point, flashing the inside out wide. Pressure on the second serve at 15-30 but Nadal nets on the forehand - another poor miss.
Ruud goes on the attack at 30-30, running around his forehand to go for Nadal’s backhand wing and then switch it up with another winner down the line.
Game point - but Nadal goes for Ruud’s backhand with more of an angle, and the Norwegian balloons one over the baseline.
And that’s a poor one - the forehand smash from Ruud is pulled wide after Nadal put it back short.
Break point - and Nadal hangs in the rally before snapping a backhand to send Ruud wide on his forehand. He clips it into the net.
A third successive break, and one handed back by Ruud with two errors from 40-30.
French Open: Nadal 2-1 Ruud* - Ruud breaks back!
Ruud blinks on a forehand into the net, seemingly just struggling to deal with the spin and bounce that Nadal can produce on the ball in these opening exchanges.
Hang on, though. Nadal then goes long and a double fault offers Ruud a sniff at 15-30.
And there’s another one! Consecutive double faults from Nadal gives Ruud two break points!
Ruud would want the first back, as he sends the forehand long until little pressure.
Nadal is faced with another second serve - he make it this time, but then a forehand into the net gets Ruud the break back!
Completely unexpected, and rather handed to Ruud.
French Open: *Nadal 2-0 Ruud - Nadal breaks!
Lovely play from Nadal to follow a backhand down the line with a volley at the net, but Ruud steadies with a good serve down the middle which the Spaniard can’t return. Great hitting from Ruud as he targets the corners but Nadal somehow hangs on as he finds the baseline, and Ruud nets. Tricky moments these, even at this early stage. At 15-30, Nadal can step into the court, hammering the forehand into the corner, and then puts away the smash as Ruud reached to return.
Two break points now. Ruud saves the first with a clipped forehand winner that sends Nadal running.
What a shot! Nadal gets the break in style as he whips the forehand pass beyond the outstretched Ruud!
French Open: Nadal 1-0 Ruud*
Nadal goes after Ruud’s backhand from the start and wins the first point as a dodgy bounce deceives the Norwegian. A drop-shot follows from Nadal that dies before Ruud can reach it. Ruud gets his teeth into a Nadal second serve and finds some joy with a forehand down the line, as Nadal drifts long.
But a wide backhand from Ruud sets up game point and Nadal claims a comfortable hold as Ruud then nets.
*denotes next server
French Open: Nadal vs Ruud
The stadium announcer takes about two minutes to read out Nadal’s list of French Open titles.
2005, 2006, 2007, 2008... you get the picture.
Right, warm-ups are over. Let’s GO
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