French open 2022 winner

PARIS, June 11 (Reuters) - An unstoppable Novak Djokovic roared to a record 23rd Grand Slam singles title at the French Open on Sunday to stand alone at the summit of men's tennis with a 7-6(1) 6-3 7-5 victory over fourth seed Casper Ruud in the final. The 36-year-old Serbian drew level with Rafa Nadal on 22 by bagging the Australian Open crown in January and he leapfrogged the injured King of Clay in his own backyard to claim his third Roland Garros title after triumphs in 2016 and 2021. On an historic day on Court Philippe Chatrier, Djokovic won his 21st consecutive Grand Slam tournament match to become the only man to capture each of the four majors - Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open - at least three times. "Obviously a Grand Slam is a Grand Slam," said Djokovic, who moved level with women's great Serena Williams on 23 major titles and sits one behind Margaret Court who has 24. "The four biggest tournaments that we have in our sport. Every single player dreams of being on this stage and winning the trophy at least once in their career. "I'm beyond fortunate in my life to win it 23 times, it's an incredible feeling." Djokovic's latest Paris triumph - which, on statistics alone, settled the Greatest of All Time (GOAT) debate - came in his seventh final at the venue and he entered Sunday's match with a 2-4 win-loss record. "It's no coincidence that I won the 23rd Grand Slam here in Paris, because this tournament was really in my entire career the tough...

PARIS — The man who fell to clay earth, splayed there and gazed skyward early Sunday evening had journeyed to that dirt so improbably across the past 12-plus years that it almost hadn’t made any sense. He had dared to bolt statistically upward toward two of the damnedest colossi ever found in any sport, beginning in earnest in January 2011 as the standings stood at 16 Grand Slam men’s singles titles for Roger Federer, nine for Rafael Nadal and one for Novak Djokovic. Twelve years, five months and bushels of humongous points on, Djokovic saw Casper Ruud’s last forehand spray wide in front of him, toppled to the brown ground behind the baseline and “felt a huge relief, and I was overwhelmed with wonderful emotions.” Suddenly, and not suddenly, the tally stood at 20 for Federer, 22 for Nadal and a mind-bending 23 for Djokovic. The 36-year-old Serb had just won the argument as the best of all time even if he refrains from that argument, just inched ahead of the other two for the first time and just won the French Open title, 7-6 (7-1), 6-3, 7-5, over Ruud of Norway, another foe of large will and talent Djokovic managed to overcome with a fortitude too mighty to describe accurately. It meant something still more to Djokovic that, of all four Grand Slam locations, he would end up beginning his remarks for No. 23 in his galloping French: “Bonjour, tout le monde.” (Hello, everyone.) He had finished this most inconceivable chase at his most impenetrable tournament, one he called “a...

Spain's Rafael Nadal celebrates winning the final match against Norway's Casper Ruud in three sets at the French Open tennis tournament on Sunday. Michel Euler/AP PARIS — Rafael Nadal pulled away to beat Casper Ruud 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 in the French Open final on Sunday for his 14th championship at Roland Garros and 22nd Grand Slam title overall, adding to two records he already owned. Nadal's victory came two days after his 36th birthday and made him the oldest title winner in the history of the clay-court tournament. Ruud led 3-1 in the second set, a deficit that spurred Nadal to raise his level — he took the last 11 games. Nadal played so crisply and cleanly, accumulating more than twice as many winners as Ruud, 37 to 16. Nadal also committed fewer unforced errors, making just 16 to Ruud's 26. When it ended with a down-the-line backhand from Nadal, he chucked his racket to the red clay he loves so much and covered his face with the taped-up fingers on both of his hands. The Spaniard's first triumph in Paris came in 2005 at age 19. No man or woman ever has won the singles trophy at any major event more than his 14 in Paris. And no man has won more Grand Slam titles than Nadal. He is two ahead of rivals Roger Federer, who hasn't played in almost a year after a series of knee operations, and Novak Djokovic, who missed the Australian Open in January because he is not vaccinated against COVID-19 and lost to Nadal at Roland Garros. Given his age, and, of more concern, the chronic p...