French Open 2022: Rafael Nadal dominates Casper Ruud for championship
Rafael Nadal now has 22 major championships, putting space between him and Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Even at age 36 with injuries, Rafael Nadal remains the king of clay.
Nadal defeated Norway’s Casper Ruud in straight sets Sunday to win his 14th French Open championship and his 22nd major title overall. Nadal had Ruud’s number in the first set, had to come back in the second and completely dominated in the final set to win 6-3, 6-3, 6-0.
Spain's Rafael Nadal plays a shot against Norway's Casper Ruud during the final match at the French Open at Roland Garros stadium in Paris Sunday, June 5, 2022. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Nadal’s 22 Grand Slam titles are the most in the men’s division in the Open era. Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic each have 20. Pete Sampras is third on the list with 14.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Overall, Nadal has as many Grand Slam titles as Steffi Graf, who had 22 during her career. Margaret Court has 24 and Serena Williams has 23.
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Nadal has posted 82 consecutive wins on clay, the longest streak on any surface in the Open era.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The crowd at Roland Garros shouted "Rafa!" as he took the mic in Paris to address the crowd after the victory. Nadal said he was "happy" for Ruud’s accomplishment of making it to the finals.
Norway's Casper Ruud shows his trophy after losing to Spain's Rafael Nadal in their finals match of the French Open at Roland Garros stadium Sunday, June 5, 2022, in Paris. Nadal won 6-3, 6-3, 6-0. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Nadal entered the tournament as the fifth seed. He defeated Jordan Thompson, Corentin Moutet, Botic van de Zandschulp, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Djokovic and Alexander Zverev to reach the finals.
Ruud was the eight seed in the tournament. He beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Emil Ruusuvuori, Lorenzo Sonego, Hubert Hurkacz, Holger Rune and Marian Cilic before losing to Nadal.
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Nadal told the crowd he planned to play as long as he can. He had been battling foot problems in the warmup tournaments leading up to the French Open.
"I don’t know what can happen in the future, but I’m going to keep fighting to try and keep going. So, many thanks," Nadal said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Spain's Rafael Nadal bites the trophy after winning the final match against Norway's Casper Ruud in three sets, 6-3, 6-3, 6-0, at the French Open at Roland Garros stadium in Paris Sunday, June 5, 2022. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
He’s now won five of the last six French Open tournaments. He lost to Djokovic in the semifinals in 2021.
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Nadal also won the Australian Open in January. It’s unclear whether he will try to play at Wimbledon or rest up for the U.S. Open.