Rafael Nadal clinched his 22nd Grand Slam win on Sunday with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 victory in the French Open 2022 final against Casper Rudd. This is the Spaniard’s 14th win in Paris, which makes him the oldest Grand Slam winner at 37. 

Coming into the red-clay tournament with some issues with his left-foot, Nadal cruised through some tough opponents in World No 1 Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev. 

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Nadal, at 22 Grand Slam wins, is two ahead of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, who have 20. As World No. 5, he equalled his lowest-ranking as champion – in 2005. 

“Nadal, Nadal,” the crowd at the Philippe-Chatrier court chanted as the Spaniard walked to the podium for the post-match statement. 

He started by congratulating his 23-year-old opponent. 

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“Merci. First of all, Casper. It is a pleasure to play a final with you . I would like to congratulate you for an amazing tournament and career so far. I wish you all the best for the future,” Nadal said. 

He further thanked his team, the organisers and volunteers. 

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“It’s amazing the things that are happening this year. Without you it would not be possible. I would have retired long ago if it had not been for you. It’s the best in the world. All the ball boys, volunteers, people behind the scenes. You make me feel like home,” he continued. 

Talking about his future, Nadal added, “For me. It’s hard to describe the feelings I have. I would not believe I would be here at 36. It means a lot, it means a lot of energy to keep going. I just want to say, thank you Paris. I don’t know what can happen in the future but I am going to keep fighting to try to keep going.”