Moments after collecting the French Open men's singles trophy for the 14th time in 2022, Rafael Nadal soaked up the ovation from the 15,000 spectators on Court Philippe Chatrier. "It's difficult to describe the feeling," Nadal said. "At 36, playing in the most important court of my career and still competitive. I just want to say thank you to everyone here in Paris."
The fifth seed had seen off the world number one and defending champion Novak Djokovic in a four-hour quarter-final epic, ridden his luck in the semis against the third seed Alexander Zverev and outmuscled the eighth seed Casper Ruud in the final to prevail – 17 years after winning his first Coupe des Mousquetaires.
