Tag: French Open

Novak Djokovic closed in on a potential blockbuster French Open semi-final against Carlos Alcaraz after beating Karen Khachanov 4-6, 7-6 (7/0), 6-2, 6-4 on Tuesday to reach the last four.

Novak Djokovic, chasing a third French Open crown and record 23rd men’s Grand Slam singles title, advanced to a 45th major semi-final and his 12th at Roland Garros.

He will take on world number one Alcaraz or Stefanos Tsitsipas, the player he beat from two sets down in the 2021 final, for a place in Sunday’s championship match.

Novak Djokovic dropped his first set of the tournament but dominated the second-set tie-break against Khachanov before putting his foot down to secure a ninth win in 10 meetings with the Russian 11th seed.

“I think he was a better player for most of the first two sets,” said Djokovic.

“I was struggling to find my rhythm. I came into the match quite slow but played a perfect tie-break and from that moment onwards played a couple levels higher.

“It’s a big fight, something you expect in the quarter-finals. You’re not going to have your victories handed to you, you have to earn them.”

Novak Djokovic improved his record at Roland Garros to 90-16 after denying Khachanov his spot in a third successive Grand Slam semi-final. He will return to number one if he wins the title in Paris.

In the night session, tournament favourite Carlos Alcaraz goes up against Greek fifth seed Tsitsipas in his stiffest challenge so far.

Carlos Alcaraz has won all four past meetings — two of which have been on clay, most recently triumphing in the Barcelona Open final in April.

“We have played great matches. I won every match that we have played. But it doesn’t mean that I’m going to win every match that we play,” said Alcaraz.

Tsitsipas also reached this year’s Australian Open final, losing to Novak Djokovic, and has been steady rather than spectacular in 2023.

He is yet to win a title this season but has made serene progress through the draw in Paris, dropping just the one set in his opening round.

“Right now he’s one of the biggest obstacles and challenges for any player to compete against,” Tsitsipas said of Carlos Alcaraz. “Rivalries like this, they are the toughest thing you can get in our sport.”

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PARIS: Novak Djokovic reached his 55th Grand Slam quarter-final and record 17th at the French Open on Sunday with a straight-sets win over Juan Pablo Varillas.

Djokovic, chasing a third Roland Garros championship and record-setting 23rd men’s Grand Slam title, eased past his 94th-ranked Peruvian opponent, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.

The 36-year-old Serb, champion in Paris in 2016 and 2021, will face 11th seed Karen Khachanov for a place in the semi-finals.

Djokovic holds a commanding 8-1 career lead over the Russian including their only previous meeting at the French Open in 2020.

“I had never played my opponent before. I knew he was a clay court specialist and that I had to earn the victory. It was the best I played this week,” said Djokovic after ensuring a 14th successive last-eight spot at the tournament.

On his record 17th quarter-final in Paris, he added: “I am very proud of this record. I have put a lot of effort into my game and I am very motivated to continue.”

On Sunday, Djokovic fought off a break point in the opening game of the first set before stretching out to a convincing 4-0 lead.

Two more breaks then helped him to a comfortable 5-1 advantage in the second set. It took Djokovic just 79 minutes to open a two-set lead.

That was in stark contrast to his gruelling third round win over Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.

The first two sets then needed two hours and 53 minutes to negotiate and his eventual straight-sets win proved to be the longest three-setter he had ever played, clocked at three hours and 36 minutes.

Varillas, who had never won a Grand Slam match before this year’s French Open, continued to wilt, slipping 2-1 down and then 4-1 down in the third before Djokovic put him out of his misery after a shade under two hours on court.

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Novak Djokovic will bid to reach the French Open fourth round for a 14th consecutive year on Friday after women’s third seed Jessica Pegula was dumped out of the tournament by Elise Mertens.

Djokovic has made headlines for his comments about Kosovo this week but will be hoping his progress on Court Philippe Chatrier remains serene after two straight-sets wins so far.

He said after his second-round win over Marton Fucsovics that the message “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia” he scrawled on a camera following his opening match was “something I stand for”.

His next opponent, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, will likely provide a sterner test, though. The Spaniard has slipped to number 34 in the world rankings this season but was runner-up at the clay-court Monte Carlo Masters last year.

Two-time champion Novak Djokovic, who has reached the French Open quarter-finals in each of the past 13 years, will be the red-hot favourite.

The 36-year-old is hoping to break out of his tie with injured rival Rafael Nadal at the top of the men’s all-time list of major winners at the French Open.

Novak Djokovic is just one title behind Serena Williams‘ mark of 23 Slams and two adrift of Margaret Court’s overall record.

Djokovic has won two of his three matches with 29th seed Davidovich Fokina, but lost their last meeting in Monte Carlo 12 months ago.

World number one Carlos Alcaraz, considered the favourite and slated to meet Djokovic in the French Open semi-finals, features in the night-session match against talented Canadian Denis Shapovalov.

The 20-year-old Spaniard has defeated players ranked outside the top 100 in his first two matches.

Shapovalov is of a far higher calibre, though, despite struggling for form in recent months.

The Canadian was ranked in the top 10 less than two years ago and was a Wimbledon semi-finalist in 2021.

Shapovalov is a big admirer of Alcaraz, who is bidding for a second straight Slam title after winning the 2022 US Open and missing this year’s Australian Open with injury.

“I think he’s a great guy. He’s super humble for achieving what he has at such a young age,” said the 24-year-old ahead of their night-session encounter.

“You can see how much he enjoys being on the court.”

Italian Lorenzo Sonego battled back from two sets down to knock out seventh seed Andrey Rublev and reach the last 16 for the second time.

The world number 48 was two points from defeat during a fourth-set tie-break but prevailed 5-7, 0-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 after three hours and 42 minutes on Court Suzanne Lenglen.

Sonego will face Russian 11th seed Karen Khachanov for a possible quarter-final meeting with Djokovic.

“Incredible comeback today,” he said. “I played more aggressive than in the first and second sets because when he’s aggressive it’s tough to compete against him.”

Eleventh seed Khachanov ended Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis’ run with an entertaining 6-4, 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (7/5) win.

American Pegula’s hopes of a deep run in Paris were ended in comprehensive fashion by Belgian Elise Mertens.

The 28th seed cruised to a 6-1, 6-3 victory to reach the fourth round for the third time.

World number three Pegula, who only has two WTA Tour titles to her name, has still never passed the quarter-final stage of a Grand Slam tournament.

“I’m very happy to win in two sets. She’s a very good player,” said Mertens.

The former Australian Open semi-finalist will next face 2021 runner-up Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

Aryna Sabalenka powered into the last 16 for the first time with a straight-sets win over Kamilla Rakhimova.

The Belarusian second seed is yet to drop a set in the tournament after a comfortable 6-2, 6-2 win against the world number 82.

Sabalenka is one of the favourites for the French Open title after a fine start to the year, including securing her maiden Grand Slam triumph in Melbourne and lifting the Madrid Open title.

“It’s really good to have a Grand Slam in your pocket — it gives you so much confidence,” she said.

Sabalenka will face either former US Open champion Sloane Stephens or Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva in the fourth round.

Russian Daria Kasatkina, a semi-finalist last year, raced into the second week by thrashing American Peyton Stearns 6-0, 6-1 in under an hour.

The ninth seed will face either compatriot Anna Blinkova or Elina Svitolina on Sunday for a place in the quarter-finals.

Ukrainian Svitolina has reached the French Open third round on her first Grand Slam appearance since the 2022 Australian Open.

She is now on a seven-match winning run after also winning the title in Strasbourg last week, beating Blinkova in the final.

Svitolina refused to shake her Russian opponent’s hand after that match and will likely repeat that stance on Friday.

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PARIS: Novak Djokovic brushed aside the furore surrounding his recent comments about clashes in Kosovo by easing into the French Open third round on Wednesday, then saying they reflected what he “stands for”.

Djokovic, who is chasing a men’s record 23rd Grand Slam singles title at Roland Garros, came through a marathon first set against Hungarian Marton Fucsovics before prevailing 7-6 (7/2), 6-0, 6-3 in the night session on Court Philippe Chatrier.

He had scrawled the message “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia. Stop the violence” on a camera following his first-round match on Monday.

“I would say it again, but I don’t need to because you have my quotes,” said Djokovic on Wednesday.

“I’m aware that a lot of people would disagree, but it is what it is. It’s something that I stand for. So that’s all.”

There was plenty of drama on the court too during an 87-minute opening set which saw Djokovic broken while he was serving for it.

But eight previous break points saved proved key for the third seed as Djokovic went on to dominate a tie-break.

World number 83 Fucsovics could not maintain his level, though, as Djokovic raced through the next seven games.

Fucsovics rallied by breaking back early in the third set and again when Djokovic served for the match.

But Djokovic wrapped up victory in the next game on his second match point.

The Serb has still not failed to reach the third round of a Grand Slam tournament since the 2017 Australian Open.

The two-time champion will next face Spanish 29th seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina for a fourth-round place on Friday.

– Alcaraz through –

World number one Carlos Alcaraz overcame a second-set blip to blow away Japan’s Taro Daniel 6-1, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 and set up a tie with Canadian 26th seed Denis Shapovalov.

The 20-year-old is bidding to add the Roland Garros title to the US Open he won in 2022.

He has already enjoyed a fine clay-court season, winning tournaments in Barcelona and Madrid.

“I’m winning all the time because I am smiling,” said Alcaraz. “And I always said that smiling for me is the key of everything.”

Stefanos Tsitsipas cruised into the third round with a straight-sets win over Spaniard Roberto Carballes Baena.

The Greek fifth seed, the runner-up to Djokovic in 2021, claimed a 6-3, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2 win on Court Suzanne Lenglen.

Tsitsipas will next face Argentinian Diego Schwartzman for a place in the second week.

Seventh seed Andrey Rublev battled past Frenchman Corentin Moutet, winning 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.

Thanasi Kokkinakis ended 38-year-old former champion Stan Wawrinka’s tournament with a dramatic 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-7 (4/7), 6-3 triumph to reach the third round of a Slam for the first time in eight years.

The injury-plagued Australian will next take on Russian Karen Khachanov after the 11th seed’s 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 success against Radu Albot.

– Success for Svitolina –

Elina Svitolina battled back from a break and a set down to beat Storm Hunter, just 12 hours after her husband Gael Monfils’ late-night escape act.

Svitolina, playing at a Grand Slam event for the first time since the 2022 Australian Open, downed qualifier Hunter 2-6, 6-3, 6-1.

Home favourite Monfils claimed his first win in nine months in a five-set first-round thriller against Sebastian Baez which finished after midnight in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

“Yes, I watched him, but not live. I was screaming in my room so if someone heard me, it was me cheering for Gael,” said Svitolina, who was being supported on Court Simonne Mathieu by Monfils, who later withdrew from the tournament due to a wrist injury.

Svitolina will next play Russian Anna Blinkova in a politically-charged rematch of last weekend’s Strasbourg final, won by the Ukrainian who then did not shake her opponent’s hand.

Blinkova needed nine match points to beat French fifth seed Caroline Garcia 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 in a dramatic encounter.

World number two Aryna Sabalenka cruised through with a 7-5, 6-2 win over fellow Belarusian Iryna Shymanovich.

Australian Open champion Sabalenka will face Russian Kamilla Rakhimova in the last 32.

American third seed Jessica Pegula booked her spot in the last 32 when opponent Camila Giorgi retired injured after losing the first set 6-2.

Ninth seed Daria Kasatkina is also safely through after seeing off 2019 runner-up Marketa Vondrousova 6-3, 6-4.

Former champion Jelena Ostapenko crashed out, though, losing 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 to the United States’ Peyton Stearns.

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World number two Daniil Medvedev was knocked out of the French Open in the first round on Tuesday, losing in five sets to 172nd-ranked Thiago Seyboth Wild of Brazil.

Thiago Seyboth Wild, who came through the qualifiers and had never previously won a Grand Slam match, triumphed 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (6/8), 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.

It was Daniil Medvedev’s fifth loss in the opening round at French Open in seven appearances.

“I have watched Daniil play in my junior years. It’s a dream come true to beat these kinds of players on this court,” said the 23-year-old Brazilian who unleashed 69 winners.

“I was cramping in the second set and couldn’t really serve the way I wanted to but I tried to play my best tennis.”

Thiago Seyboth Wild, without a win on the main tour since February 2022, held his nerve in the conclusion of the four-hour 15-minute match on Court Philippe Chatrier.

He twice saw breaks retrieved by Daniil Medvedev in the deciding set before finally backing up a third break with a hold for 5-3. Two giant forehands secured victory.

He will face either Guido Pella or Quentin Halys for a place in the last 32.

Medvedev arrived in Paris buoyed by winning his first ever clay court title at the prestigious Italian Open last week for his fifth trophy of 2023.

“Every time the clay court season finishes, I’m happy,” said Medvedev.

Coco Gauff, the 2022 runner-up, battled to a 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 success over Rebecca Masarova of Spain but Barbora Krejcikova, the 2021 champion, was knocked out in the first round for a second successive year, losing 6-2, 6-4 to Lesia Tsurenko of Ukraine.

Wimbledon champion and fourth-ranked Elena Rybakina brushed off a slow start to dispatch Czech teenager Brenda Fruhvirtova 6-4, 6-2.

Fourth seed Casper Ruud, the runner-up to Rafael Nadal last year, eased past Swedish qualifier Elias Ymer 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.

Alexander Zverev, who suffered a season-ending ankle ligament injury in his 2022 semi-final loss to Nadal, secured a fourth win in four matches against Lloyd Harris of South Africa. German 22nd seed Zverev came through 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/0), 6-1.

Danish youngster Holger Rune, seeded six, came through a tough test against American Christopher Eubanks, winning 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-2.

“It was super difficult. There are always nerves coming into the first round and Chris was playing very freely,” said Rune who made the last-eight in 2022.

Italian qualifier Andrea Vavassori saved five match points to knock out Serb 31st seed Miomir Kecmanovic in a five-hour 10-minute epic.

Vavassori hit a colossal 106 winners in his 5-7, 2-6, 7-6 (10/8), 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (11/9) win.

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PARIS: Novak Djokovic started his bid for a men’s record 23rd Grand Slam singles title with a straight-sets victory over Aleksandar Kovacevic in the French Open first round on Monday, as Carlos Alcaraz dazzled in his opening victory.

Two-time Roland Garros champion Djokovic held off a late rally from his American opponent on Court Philippe Chatrier to clinch a 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (7/1) victory.

He has still not lost in his opening match of a major since the 2006 Australian Open.

“I want to dominate whoever I play against regardless of the circumstances and who is across the net, but sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t,” said Djokovic after kicking off his 19th consecutive French Open campaign.

The 36-year-old will face Hungarian Marton Fucsovics, who he has beaten four times in as many meetings, in the second round.

Djokovic is only seeded third at Roland Garros this year despite the absence of his great rival and 14-time winner Rafael Nadal through injury, behind world number one Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev.

He is tied with Nadal for most men’s Slam singles trophies and just one behind the 23 of Serena Williams. Margaret Court holds the all-time record of 24.

Kovacevic, the world number 114 playing in his first Grand Slam match, battled hard but could not put Djokovic under sustained pressure until it was too late.

Djokovic eased through the first two sets, before Kovacevic did break for the first time in the match to level the third set at 3-3, only to drop serve again immediately.

Djokovic uncharacteristically stumbled when serving for the match as Kovacevic forced a tie-break to the delight of the crowd.

But the world number three quickly regrouped, dominating the breaker before ending Kovacevic’s resistance on his first match point with a thumping forehand return.

– Brilliant Alcaraz –

Alcaraz began his attempt to win a second Grand Slam title in fine style against Italian qualifier Flavio Cobolli, the world number 159 playing in a Grand Slam for the first time.

The top seed played some wonderful shots as he powered to a 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 victory, despite also struggling to get over the line.

Spaniard Alcaraz is the favourite to win the title in the absence of his compatriot Nadal and is slated to meet Djokovic in the semi-finals.

The 20-year-old has enjoyed a fine clay-court season, winning the Madrid and Barcelona Opens, but did suffer a shock defeat to a player from outside the top 100 against Fabian Marozsan last time out in Rome.

There was no such slip-up on Court Suzanne Lenglen, though, as he won the first eight games of the match.

Cobolli settled and improved, even saving four match points in the third set and breaking Alcaraz when he first served for it, but eventually the sport’s new golden boy extended his record of never having lost in a Slam first round to nine appearances.

“It was not too good (the missed match points)… But I had to overcome that and forget that,” said the 20-year-old. “I played at a great level when it was 5-5 and 6-5.”

Alcaraz will next play Japan’s Taro Daniel.

– Auger-Aliassime beaten –

Canadian 10th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime suffered a third defeat at the opening hurdle in four visits to Roland Garros as he lost 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 to Fabio Fognini.

The unpredictable Italian, who himself has lost in the first round six times in nine tournaments so far this season, pulled off a shock win on Court Simonne Mathieu.

British 14th seed Cameron Norrie came through a five-set thriller on Court Suzanne Lenglen to beat home wildcard Benoit Paire 7-5, 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.

Last year’s Wimbledon semi-finalist will take on resurgent Frenchman Lucas Pouille for a third-round berth.

Former champion Stan Wawrinka, 38, out-fought Albert Ramos-Vinolas over four hours and 35 minutes, winning 7-6 (7/5), 6-4, 6-7 (2/7), 1-6, 6-4 to set up a clash with Thanasi Kokkinakis.

Zhang Zhizhen became the first Chinese man to win a main-draw match at the tournament since 1937 when his opponent Dusan Lajovic retired injured while trailing 6-1, 4-1.

In the women’s draw, Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina won her first match at a Slam event since the 2022 Australian Open, beating last year’s semi-finalist Martina Trevisan 6-2, 6-2.

The former world number three has recently returned to the tour following maternity leave, having previously taken a break from the sport citing health problems and mental exhaustion following Russia’s invasion of her home country.

“These kind of moments, these little wins… on a level, which is very low, but these moments bring joy to people of Ukraine,” said Svitolina.

French fifth seed Caroline Garica gave the home fans something to cheer with a 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 6-4 win over Wang Xiyu.

Former runner-up Sloane Stephens dumped out 16th seed Karolina Pliskova 6-0, 6-4 and 2021 losing finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova beat Linda Fruhvirtova 6-2, 6-2.

PARIS: Novak Djokovic could face world number one Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals of the French Open after both players were placed in the same half of the draw on Thursday.

Djokovic is chasing a record 23rd men’s Grand Slam title in the absence of the injured Rafael Nadal, who will miss the tournament at Roland Garros for the first time since his 2005 title-winning debut.

The third-seeded Novak Djokovic, Roland Garros champion in 2016 and 2021, meets 114th-ranked Aleksandar Kovacevic of the US in the first round in Paris — the first French Open since 1998 without Nadal or the now retired Roger Federer.

The 24-year-old Kovacevic is making his Grand Slam main draw debut.

Novak Djokovic, who turned 36 on Monday, has been bothered by a recurrence of a right elbow injury which has disrupted his clay-court season.

He failed to go beyond the last eight at any of the three events he played on clay this spring, losing his number one spot to Alcaraz.

Novak Djokovic has also fallen behind Daniil Medvedev in the rankings after the Russian succeeded him as Italian Open champion last weekend.

US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz and Medvedev both start their Roland Garros campaigns against a qualifier or lucky loser.

Carlos Alcaraz faces a challenging path to a second Grand Slam title, with Lorenzo Musetti a possible last-16 foe before 2021 runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas potentially awaits him in the quarter-finals.

For Djokovic to set up a blockbuster last-four clash with Carlos Alcaraz he may need to get past Monte Carlo Masters champion Andrey Rublev in the quarters.

Casper Ruud, who was thrashed by Nadal in last year’s final, is seeded fourth and plays a qualifier in his opening match.

The in-form Holger Rune arrives in Paris at a career-high six in the world and takes on Christopher Eubanks of the US in round one.

Two-time women’s champion Iga Swiatek begins her title defence against Spain’s Cristina Bucsa, the world number 67 who was beaten by the Pole in the third round of this year’s Australian Open.

The top-ranked Swiatek, bidding to become the first back-to-back women’s champion at the French Open in 16 years, is coming off a thigh injury which forced her to retire in Rome.

She is seeded to meet 2022 runner-up Coco Gauff in the quarter-finals and could face Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina, last week’s Italian Open winner, in the last four.

Rybakina has beaten Swiatek three times this season, knocking her out of the Australian Open Melbourne and Indian Wells before advancing when injury halted her rival in Rome.

Barbora Krejcikova, the 2021 winner, could await Swiatek in the last 16. The Czech lost in the first round a year ago.

“This is my favourite tournament. I always get this extra motivation to practise harder here. I’m really excited to be here,” Swiatek said during the draw ceremony.

Aryna Sabalenka, who won her maiden Grand Slam crown in Melbourne, plays Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine in round one. Sabalenka has never got beyond the third round in Paris despite making at least the semi-finals at all of the other three majors.

Furthermore, her title win in Madrid this spring was followed by a first-up exit at the hands of 134th-ranked Sofia Kenin in Rome.

Third seed Jessica Pegula has a tricky opening match against fellow American and 2022 Australian Open finalist Danielle Collins, while Rybakina gets a qualifier first up.

Ons Jabeur, seeded seventh, is a potential quarter-final opponent for Rybakina, who defeated the Tunisian in the 2022 Wimbledon final. Jabeur also finished runner-up to Swiatek at the US Open.

Rybakina, a Russian-born Kazakh has yet to get past the last eight at Roland Garros.

French fifth seed Caroline Garcia meets China’s Wang Xiyu as two-time major winner Victoria Azarenka squares off with 2019 US Open champion Bianca Andreescu in the first round.

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Rafael Nadal on Thursday withdrew from the French Open because his hip injury has not healed and said he expects 2024 to be his final year in professional tennis.

“It’s not a decision I’m taking, it’s a decision my body is taking,” said the 36-year-old Spanish player, who has played at the claycourt major every year since 2005 and won it 14 times.

Rafael Nadal said he was taking a few months off, meaning he will also definitely miss Wimbledon and most likely the US Open, before starting to play again.

And he said next year would bring down the curtain on a career that has so far produced 22 Grand Slam singles titles.

“It’s probably going to be my last year on the professional tour, I can’t say this 100 percent because you never know what’s going to happen,” he told a news conference.

“The injury I suffered in Australia has not healed as we hoped.

“Roland Garros became impossible. I will not be there after many years, with everything that (tournament) means to me.”

Rafael Nadal said he will not set a date for his return, but said the Davis Cup in November could be a potential target.

The former world number one has not played since the Australian Open in January where he picked up a hip injury in a shock second round loss to Mackenzie McDonald of the United States.

He was expected to recover inside six weeks, comfortably in time for the claycourt season and to launch an assault on a record-extending 15th title at Roland Garros.

However, with his 37th birthday little over two weeks away and having skipped Masters events in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome, Nadal appears to be facing a final battle he cannot win.

After a career plagued by knee, wrist and foot injuries in particular, the alarm bells have been ringing ever louder over the last year.

Nadal’s undefeated start to 2022, which saw him pick up a second Australian Open title, ended with a chest injury at Indian Wells.

“It feels like a needle all the time inside,” he admitted.

He swept to a 14th French Open in June but only after revealing he had required daily pain-killing injections in his foot, a consequence of suffering from Mueller-Weiss Syndrome, a rare degenerative condition.

“I played with no feeling in the foot, with a pain-killing injection in the nerve. The foot was asleep, and that’s why I was able to play,” he said at the time in Paris.

He added that he would undergo a treatment which would involve burning the nerves in his foot to permanently dull the pain.

Weeks later, his dream of a third Wimbledon title ended in a semi-final withdrawal due to an abdominal strain.

Rafael Nadal’s lengthy absence this year has also seen him drop out of the world’s top 10 for the first time in 18 years.

His record at the French Open is unlikely ever to be broken.

Since his 2005 championship winning debut, he has racked up 112 wins and only been defeated three times.

Two of those losses came against great rival Novak Djokovic in 2015 and 2021. The other was to Robin Soderling in 2009.

Djokovic, who shares the men’s record of 22 Slams with Nadal, will start as French Open favourite this year alongside world number one Carlos Alcaraz who is desperate not to see his Spanish compatriot throw in the towel.

“Let’s hope he continues to play for a long time and that we can enjoy his tennis,” said Alcaraz, the 20-year-old heir apparent to Nadal’s throne.

LONDON: The Spaniard Rafael Nadal, who outclassed Norway’s Casper Ruud in the French Open final 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 to lift the 14th Roland Garros and record-extending 22nd Grand Slam trophy last week, moved up in the latest ATP Rankings. 

The Spaniard climbed a place up in the rankings to claim the fourth rank following an incredible season. He has now levelled with his countryman Carlos Alcaraz – winning four titles in 2022.

The 36-years-old Spaniard is the oldest champion in the history of the clay-court event and it is also the first instance Nadal won the Australian and French Open in the same year.

It's a career-high ranking for Casper Ruud (#6) and Holger Rune (#28).

Well done, boys! 👏 @PepperstoneFX | #ATPRankings pic.twitter.com/2WzEiXFc8p

— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 6, 2022

 

The French Open 2022 Runner-up Ruud, on the other hand, also improved his rankings as he moved two places up to claim his career-high sixth spot.

Ruud, who became the first Norwegian to reach the final at a Grand Slam, enjoyed a prolific French Open campaign as he defeated Lorenzo Sonego, Hubert Hurcakz, and Marin Cilic on his way to the final before losing to the eventual champion Nadal in a one-sided affair.

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PARIS: The Spaniard Rafael Nadal has ended his Norwegian opponent Casper Ruud’s dream run as he defeated the latter in the final to lift his 14th French Open title, here on Sunday.

In a one-sided final, 36-year-old Nadal won 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 to end Ruud’s hopes of becoming the first Norwegian to win the major title.

Nadal started off the proceedings in a rush as he quickly pulled ahead 2-0. Ruud, on the other hand, also responded and sealed the third game to cut the lead only for Nadal to claim the fourth and restored his lead to 3-1.

The Spaniard then dominated Ruud, who trained at the former’s academy in Manacor since 2018, and claimed the first set 6-3.

There was a glimmer of hope for the Norwegian as he pulled ahead in the second set after breaking 3-1. Nadal, however, roared back with a double break for 4-3. Ruud, then saved three points in the ninth game but his double faulty resulted in Nadal claiming the second straight set.

Nadal, fuelled with momentum, did not look back in the third set as he completely stole the show by claiming the set 6-0, which concluded in just 30 minutes.

With his French Open triumph, Nadal has now claimed the title 14th time and extended his Grand Slam record to 22 victories, leaving his rivals Novak Djokovic (20) and Roger Federer (20) behind.

It is pertinent to mention here that Nadal, 36, has also become the oldest French Open winner as he surpassed Andre Gimeno, who achieved the feat at an age of 34.

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