Nadal crowned Roland Garros champion for 14th time

Rafael Nadal pulls through with another incredible victory against Casper Rudd during his championship match at the French Open, winning his 14th French Open crown and 22nd Grand Slam title.

It was no surprise that Nadal, the King of Clay, came out on top yet again in Paris, as he improved his overall record at the French Open to 112-3.

Nadal began his tournament extremely strong and didn’t give up a set in the first two rounds. However, he was put to the test in the fourth round, playing against Canadian Félix Auger-Aliassime, who became only the third man at Roland Garros and the sixth player ever on clay to push Nadal to a fifth set.

Nonetheless, Nadal edged the 21-year-old Canadian in the decider to set up a quarter-final match against top-seed Novak Djokovic – the 59th meeting of their careers. In their highly anticipated contest, despite Djokovic being able to take the second set, Nadal played a more consistent match and defeated the Serb 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(4).

In the semi-finals, Nadal faced third-seed Alexander Zverev, but unfortunately, the German was forced to retire due to an injury that occurred at the very end of the second set. Nadal would move onto the final round to play his first match against Casper Rudd of Norway.

From the very get-go in the finals, fans could sense that Nadal wasn’t going to leave Court Philippe -Chatrier without Grand Slam title No. 22. He was extremely comfortable in his service games and even better returning, as he broke his opponent eight times throughout the match. He clinched the title in two hours and 18 minutes by a score of 6-3 6-3 6-0. 

Nadal is on track to play at Wimbledon, despite his chronic foot injury that will leave him sidelined until the prestigious tournament. Nadal will look to add to his collection of trophies with the opportunity to win his 23rd Grand Slam title and third Wimbledon crown at this year’s event.