The French Open 2022 has come to an end with Rafael Nadal clinching his 22nd Grand Slam title, proving that he is the king of clay. However, the tournament had its share of moments, especially with many eyes trained on upcoming talent Carlos Alcaraz. 

Serbian pro, Novak Djokovic, who’d missed out on the Australian Open over the COVID vaccination fiasco, also tried his hand at the French Open but was bested during the course of the tournament. 

The highs and lows of the clay court made for some memorable instances and here’s a look at the top five moments of the French Open. 

Fiery fourteenth 

Casper Ruud was seeking his first Grand Slam title but went up against a veteran of the clay court. Nadal looked comfortable in the game, as he won his 14th French Open, and 22nd Grand Slam overall. 

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Nadal beat Ruud 6-3, 6-3, 6-0, with the Norwegian only putting up a semblance of a fight in the second set. 

Cuckoo for Coco Gauff 

From just graduating high school to landing a spot in the finals of the French Open, American tennis pro, Coco Gauff has had a fantastic journey. She became the youngest player since Maria Sharapova in 2004, to have a spot in the Grand Slam final. 

Gauff ultimately lost to Polish pro, Iga Swiatek, who won her second Grand Slam title. 

The Croatian upset 

Marin Cilic of Croatia, upset No 7 Andrey Rublev, in the quarters, winning 7-5, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6. He moved on to his first French Open semifinal but was defeated by Ruud. 

The Djoker and the GOAT 

Djokovic and Nadal have had a memorable rivalry, and the French Open 2022 quarter-final saw the 59th matchup between the tennis greats over their 16 years of competition. 

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The world No 5 trumped the world’s top-seeded pro 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6, to move to the semis. 

The first cut is the deepest 

Swiatek won the Grand Slam title but was also handed her first dropped set in the last 32 matches. She faced unseeded Qinwen Zheng, who gave the Polish star her first dropped set in the tournament. 

Zheng won the first set 7-6, despite being down 3-0. She won the second set 5-2, in a tiebreaker, but lost the other two 6-0 and 6-2, allowing Swiatek to progress.