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:
Ruud’s French Open so far
1st round: 6-7 7-6 6-2 7-6 vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
2nd round: 6-3 6-4 6-2 vs Emil Ruusuvuori
3rd round: 6-2 6-7 1-6 6-4 6-3 vs Lorenzo Sonego
4th round: 6-2 6-3 3-6 6-3 vs Herbert Hurkacz
Quarter-final: 6-1 4-6 7-6 6-3 vs Holger Rune
Semi-final: 3-6 6-4 6-2 6-2 vs Marin Cilic
Nadal’s grand slam record
Victory today would see Rafael Nadal move two clear of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer in the all-time list of grand slam titles, while a 14th French Open title would be enough for a tie of third on its own!
21 - Rafael Nadal (overall)
20 - Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic
14 - Pete Sampras
13 - Rafael Nadal (at the French Open)
12 - Roy Emerson
11 - Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg
Nadal set for 30th grand slam final
Rafael Nadal insists he has nothing to prove as the Spaniard addressed concerns surrounding his foot injury ahead of this afternoon’s French Open final. The 36-year-old says he will continue to play as long as he is healthy.
“It’s about every day. No, I mean, it’s not about things that you need to prove. It’s about how much you enjoy doing what you are doing or if you don’t enjoy, then is another story, no?
“But if you like what you are doing, you keep going. Because, for example, if you like to go and play golf, you keep going to play golf. If I like to play tennis and if I can and I can handle to keep playing, I keep playing because I like what I do. So that’s it.
“Of course I enjoy. And if I am healthy enough to play, I like the competition, honestly, no? And the competition, I like to play in the best stadiums of the world and feel myself at my age still competitive. Means a lot to me, no? That makes me feel in some way proud and happy about all the work that we did.”
Ruud ready to face mentor Nadal in French Open final
Four years ago Casper Ruud was honing his skills as a teenage rookie at the Rafael Nadal Academy in Majorca.Today the 23-year-old Norwegian will face his mentor, the 21-time grand slam champion, in the French Open final.
Ruud has never faced 36-year-old Nadal in a competitive match, but the pair have played plenty of times on the practice court. Eighth seed Ruud admitted: "We have played some practice sets, and he has always pretty much beaten me.
"There's been some close sets, 7-6, 7-5, but it always goes his favour. But it's because we are playing in the academy and I want to be nice to him." Nadal has an unblemished record in Roland Garros finals, having won all 13 that he has reached.
Casper Ruud ready to face mentor Rafa Nadal in French Open final
The 23-year-old Norwegian has never faced Nadal, 36, in a competitive match but the pair played plenty of times at the Rafael Nadal Academy.
How to watch the French Open final
You can catch live action from Roland Garros on Eurosport 1 - Sky channel 410, BT 435, Virgin 521. Coverage starts from 1.30pm on Eurosport 1.
You can live stream the action on Discovery+, a subscription is £6.99 per month or £59.99 annually on Sky, Amazon Prime Video channels, Roku and Vodafone. With the app available on the following devices: LG Smart TV, Samsung Smart TVs and Amazon Fire TV.
Odds
Nadal 1/6
Ruud 4/1
Recap: Swiatek blows Gauff away to win second French Open title
Yesterday, Iga Swiatek cemented her place at the top of women’s tennis with a commanding victory over Coco Gauff in the final of the French Open.
The No 1 seed swept to a second Roland Garros title thanks to a 6-1 6-3 demolition of 18-year-old Gauff.
With superstar Poland striker Robert Lewandowski among the crowd on Court Philippe Chatrier, Swiatek’s sharp-shooting and ruthless finishing was too much for the American and capped an astonishing winning run.
Elevated to world No 1 following Ashleigh Barty’s shock retirement in March, the 21-year-old Pole has proved an unstoppable force ever since.
Her 35-match winning streak takes her level with Venus Williams for the most consecutive victories this century.
Iga Swiatek blows Coco Gauff away to win second French Open title
Swiatek’s 35-match winning streak takes her level with Venus Williams for the most consecutive victories this century
Good afternoon
Hello and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of the French Open as Rafael Nadal looks to pull off another sensational grand slam triumph against Casper Ruud in the men’s final at Roland Garros. There has perhaps never been more of a gulf in experience between two players in a major final, as Nadal bids for what would be a record-extending 14th French Open and 22nd grand slam title against the 23-year-old Ruud, who has become the first player from Norway to reach a men’s final at a slam.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments