Rafael Nadal shattered multiple records as he went on to win his 14th French Open title on Sunday. The Spaniard defeated a 23-year-old Casper Rudd 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 in the final at the Philippe-Chatrier court. 

The Spaniard had come to the French Open with issues in his left foot. He was diagnosed with Mueller-Weiss Syndrome in his left foot about a year ago, casting doubts over the logetivity of his career. 

Also read: Nadal, unsure of future, ‘will fight to keep going’ after French Open win

Seeded fifth, Nadal managed to beat his arch-rival Novak Djokovic and World No 3 Alexander Zverev in his French Open 2022 campaign. After thanking his team, family and the organisers, the 36-year-old spoke about his future. 

“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,” he said. 

The 2022 French Open will go down in history books as the Grand Slam where Rafael Nadal broke multiple records. Here is a list:

1) Rafael Nadal now has 22 Grand Slams against his name – two more than his closest rival Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. 

2) He boasts a perfect record in the French Open final. All the 14 times Nadal has reached the stage, he has won. 

Also read: French Open 2022: Swiatek ‘overwhelmed’ by Lewandowski’s presence in final

3) The tennis GOAT won the Roland Garros title two days after his 36th birthday. He is now the oldest  French Open champion. a record that was held by Andres Gimeno, 34 years and 305 days, in 1972.

4) No one has won the red-clay tournament more than Rafael Nadal – 14 times. 

5) He has now equalled Novak Djokovic’s Open Era record for the most number of Grand Slam titles won by a player above the age of 30 in men’s singles tennis – 8.

6) 2022 is the first time, Nadal has won both the Australian Open and the French Open titles in the same year. 

7) He recorded a bagel at the French Open final for the third time and 21st time in the tournament. A bagel is when the set ends with a score of 6–0. 

8) Rafa became the thid man in history to beat four top 10 players in a winning Grand Slam campaign. Roger Federer (2017 Australian Open) and Mats Wilander (1982 French Open) have dine it in the past.