Following todayâs victory over Norwegian Casper Ruud at Roland Garros, Rafael Nadal has claimed his 14th French Open title, regaining the championship from Novak Djokovic following last yearâs semi-final defeat to the Serbian and cementing himself as the undisputed âKing of Clayâ.For many, that tag would've been already cemented, but now, there is no doubt.Since first winning the tournament back in 2005, just two days after turning 19, Nadal has failed to win the French Open just four times since. Through defeating Ruud, the Spaniard has also maintained his incredible record of having never lost in the final of the French Open, the only clay court Grand Slam tournament of the circuit.The victory for Nadal has been made all the more sweeter considering his current injury issues with his foot and ribs, with Marca reporting after Fridayâs semi-final that the 36-year-old would miss Wimbledon. Last yearâs French Open four-set defeat to Djokovic was also plagued by Nadalâs struggle with injury, and so to retain his title this year after defeating the Serbian in a thrilling quarter-final, and through the perseverance of his foot pain, is testament to the sporting character that Nadal is.PARIS, FRANCE - JUNE 09: Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates with the trophy following the mens singles final against Dominic Thiem of Austria during Day fifteen of the 2019 French Open at Roland Garros on June 09, 2019 in Paris, France. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)Nadalâs perseverance and spirit is most likely influenced greatly in his bid as part of the debate determining the greatest player out of the âBig Threeâ of himself, Djokovic and Roger Federer, who have dominated the sport since the 2003 Australian Open. Following Nadalâs reclamation of his most familiar title, he has extended his all-time menâs record number of Grand Slam titles to 22. Furthermore, he has thus doubled his lead on Djokovic and Federer in Grand Slam Championships, with both his Serb and Swiss rivals holding 20 titles each. Not only is Nadal putting his hand up to be considered the best out of the âBig Threeâ, but the âKing of Clayâ is making a valid bid for himself as the outright âGOATâ of the menâs sport.
Nadalâs 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 victory has extended his incredible record to having won 112 games and only lost three at the French Open.
Despite his incredible history in the competition, 2022 has been a notably successful year for Nadal so far, having won the Australian Open in January and now the French Open this month.
While injury may put him out of Wimbledon later this month, with the new French Open champion confessing to reporters: âWinning is beautiful, but life is much more important than any titleâ, in reference to the severe pain in his foot, Nadal has now got a healthy buffer on Djokovic and Federer in Grand Slam titles, and hopefully can regain fitness for the US Open later this year to potentially extend his lead further.