# 2022 French Open – Men's singles
The 2022 [French Open](https://www.edgepedia.org/french-open) men's singles tournament, played on clay in Paris from 23 May to 5 June 2022, was won by fifth seed [Rafael Nadal](https://www.edgepedia.org/rafael-nadal), who defeated [Casper Ruud](https://www.edgepedia.org/casper-ruud) 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 in the final to claim a record-extending 14th Roland-Garros title and his 22nd Grand Slam singles championship[1](https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/article/rg2022-nadal-ruud-final-report) • [2](https://www.atptour.com/-/media/ca94b3f359f2498d8e9a96804ed22eab.pdf?hash=01716DEB342DB6127B0E8D85B1DE75C2&sc=0). The draw of 128 players carried total prize money of €43,600,000[2](https://www.atptour.com/-/media/ca94b3f359f2498d8e9a96804ed22eab.pdf?hash=01716DEB342DB6127B0E8D85B1DE75C2&sc=0).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Champion | Rafael Nadal, 14th Roland-Garros title and record 22nd Grand Slam[1](https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/article/rg2022-nadal-ruud-final-report) |
| Final | Nadal d. Casper Ruud 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 on 5 June 2022[1](https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/article/rg2022-nadal-ruud-final-report) |
| Age record | At 36, Nadal became the oldest men's singles champion in Roland-Garros history, surpassing Andres Gimeno's mark of 34[1](https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/article/rg2022-nadal-ruud-final-report) |
| Runner-up | Casper Ruud, world No. 8, the first Norwegian man to reach a Grand Slam singles final[1](https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/article/rg2022-nadal-ruud-final-report) |
| Signature match | Nadal d. Novak Djokovic 6-2 4-6 6-2 7-6(4) in 4h12 in the quarter-finals, their 59th meeting[3](https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/article/roland-garros-2022-memorable-mens-singles-matches-nadal-djokovic-zverev) |
| Career record | Nadal's lifetime Roland-Garros record after the title stood at 112-3[1](https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/article/rg2022-nadal-ruud-final-report) |
| Rule change | A 10-point final set tie-break was trialed in singles and doubles events, in line with the other three Grand Slams[4](https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/article/roland-garros-innovations-commitments-edition-2022) |
## The final
Nadal, two days past his 36th birthday, needed two hours and 18 minutes to beat the 23-year-old Ruud, who was facing him for the first time in an official match, although the two were frequent practice partners after Ruud joined Nadal's academy in Mallorca in 2018[1](https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/article/rg2022-nadal-ruud-final-report) • [5](https://www.newsofbahrain.com/epaper/06-06-2022/PDF_6-06-2022_1654490879_k56pHPdecL_06-06-2022.pdf). Nadal took the opening set in 48 minutes, dropping just two points on his first serve, and after Ruud broke for 3-1 in the second, Nadal took the next five games and then won the final 11 games of the match, hitting only five unforced errors in the second set[1](https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/article/rg2022-nadal-ruud-final-report) • [6](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/jun/05/french-open-tennis-rafael-nadal-casper-ruud-match-report).
The victory made Nadal the oldest men's champion in the tournament's history, fifty years after his compatriot Andres Gimeno set the previous record at 34[1](https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/article/rg2022-nadal-ruud-final-report). It was also the first time Nadal had won the first two majors of a season, after his [Australian Open](https://www.edgepedia.org/australian-open) title in January, putting him halfway to a calendar Grand Slam, a feat last achieved by [Rod Laver](https://www.edgepedia.org/rod-laver) in 1969[5](https://www.newsofbahrain.com/epaper/06-06-2022/PDF_6-06-2022_1654490879_k56pHPdecL_06-06-2022.pdf) • [7](https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/article/nadal-reigns-supreme-with-14th-roland-garros-title-rg2022). With 22 titles he moved two clear of [Novak Djokovic](https://www.edgepedia.org/novak-djokovic) and Roger Federer, who each had 20[1](https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/article/rg2022-nadal-ruud-final-report).
## Nadal's path through the draw
**A difficult fortnight.** Nadal arrived in Paris having played little clay-court tennis, first because of a broken rib and then because of a chronic left foot problem that required anaesthetic injections to play through[8](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/sports/article/2022/06/06/rafael-nadal-wins-fourteenth-french-open-and-defies-the-laws-of-time_5985821_9.html) • [9](https://www.livetennis.com/tournaments/french-open-roland-garros/nadal-at-roland-garros). In the round of 16, Felix Auger-Aliassime pushed him to five sets, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, and in doing so joined [John Isner](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-isner) (2011) and Novak Djokovic (2013) as just the third man ever to force Nadal into a decider at Roland-Garros.[3](https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/article/roland-garros-2022-memorable-mens-singles-matches-nadal-djokovic-zverev)
**The Djokovic quarter-final.** Played on a night session, the quarter-final against defending champion Djokovic was their 59th meeting, the 18th at a Grand Slam and the tenth on the Paris clay[3](https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/article/roland-garros-2022-memorable-mens-singles-matches-nadal-djokovic-zverev). Nadal took the first set 6-2 and led 3-0 with two breaks in the second before Djokovic leveled the match after two hours 16 minutes; Nadal then claimed the third set and won the fourth-set tie-break, finishing 6-2 4-6 6-2 7-6(4) after four hours 12 minutes, ending after 1 a.m.[3](https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/article/roland-garros-2022-memorable-mens-singles-matches-nadal-djokovic-zverev) • [10](https://time.com/6182977/nadal-djokovic-gauff-alcaraz-french-open/).
**The Zverev semi-final.** Nadal led by a set and the second set stood at 6-6 after nearly three hours when [Alexander Zverev](https://www.edgepedia.org/alexander-zverev) turned an ankle chasing a forehand and retired[3](https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/article/roland-garros-2022-memorable-mens-singles-matches-nadal-djokovic-zverev). The match had featured eight breaks of serve in 12 games in the second set, and Zverev returned on crutches to salute the Chatrier crowd[3](https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/article/roland-garros-2022-memorable-mens-singles-matches-nadal-djokovic-zverev).
Across the event Nadal beat four top-10 opponents, Auger-Aliassime (No. 9), Djokovic (No. 1), Zverev (No. 3, by walkover) and Ruud (No. 8), the first man to do so at a Slam since Federer's 2017 Australian Open title run[7](https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/article/nadal-reigns-supreme-with-14th-roland-garros-title-rg2022) • [11](https://www.axios.com/2022/06/06/raphael-nadal-french-open-win).
## Other notable matches
**Zverev v Alcaraz.** In the quarter-finals Zverev ended the run of 19-year-old [Carlos Alcaraz](https://www.edgepedia.org/carlos-alcaraz), who had won tournaments in Rio, Miami, Barcelona and Madrid earlier in 2022, taking a titanic three-hour-18-minute tussle 6-4 6-4 4-6 7-6(7)[3](https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/article/roland-garros-2022-memorable-mens-singles-matches-nadal-djokovic-zverev) • [10](https://time.com/6182977/nadal-djokovic-gauff-alcaraz-french-open/).
**Tsonga's farewell.** [Jo-Wilfried Tsonga](https://www.edgepedia.org/jo-wilfried-tsonga) had announced before the tournament that it would be the last event of an 18-year career[2](https://www.atptour.com/-/media/ca94b3f359f2498d8e9a96804ed22eab.pdf?hash=01716DEB342DB6127B0E8D85B1DE75C2&sc=0). Drawn against Ruud, he pushed the eighth seed for three hours 50 minutes and three tie-breaks before going down 7-6(6) 6-7(4) 2-6 6-7(0), conceding no break in the first set, and left Court Philippe-Chatrier in tears after his final match on the big stage[3](https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/article/roland-garros-2022-memorable-mens-singles-matches-nadal-djokovic-zverev).
## Tournament context
The 2022 edition returned to a full-scale format after two editions disrupted by the health crisis, with ten night sessions on Court Philippe-Chatrier starting at 21:00 and wheelchair tennis matches on the Chatrier order of play for the first time[4](https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/article/roland-garros-innovations-commitments-edition-2022). All four Grand Slam tournaments trialed a 10-point tie-break at 6–6 in the deciding set; at Roland-Garros, this replaced the advantage final set[4](https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/article/roland-garros-innovations-commitments-edition-2022) • [13](https://ausopen.com/articles/news/grand-slams-jointly-adopt-10-point-final-set-tiebreak). In France, match point in the men's final drew a peak television audience on [France 2](https://www.edgepedia.org/france-2) equal to 51.2 percent of the audience share[12](https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/article/figures-record-breaking-stats-roland-garros-2022).
## References
1. [It's Grand Slam No. 22 for Rafa, Roland-Garros official site](https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/article/rg2022-nadal-ruud-final-report)
2. [2022 Roland Garros tournament preview, ATP Tour](https://www.atptour.com/-/media/ca94b3f359f2498d8e9a96804ed22eab.pdf?hash=01716DEB342DB6127B0E8D85B1DE75C2&sc=0)
3. [Roland-Garros 2022: the pick of the men's singles matches, Roland-Garros official site](https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/article/roland-garros-2022-memorable-mens-singles-matches-nadal-djokovic-zverev)
4. [Roland-Garros: innovations and commitments for 2022, Roland-Garros official site](https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/article/roland-garros-innovations-commitments-edition-2022)
5. [News of Bahrain, 6 June 2022 e-paper](https://www.newsofbahrain.com/epaper/06-06-2022/PDF_6-06-2022_1654490879_k56pHPdecL_06-06-2022.pdf)
6. [Rafael Nadal defies time and Casper Ruud to win his 14th French Open title, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/jun/05/french-open-tennis-rafael-nadal-casper-ruud-match-report)
7. [Nadal: 'This means everything', Roland-Garros official site](https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/article/nadal-reigns-supreme-with-14th-roland-garros-title-rg2022)
8. [Rafael Nadal wins 14th French Open and defies the laws of time, Le Monde](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/sports/article/2022/06/06/rafael-nadal-wins-fourteenth-french-open-and-defies-the-laws-of-time_5985821_9.html)
9. [Nadal at Roland Garros: all 14 French Open titles and records, LiveTennis](https://www.livetennis.com/tournaments/french-open-roland-garros/nadal-at-roland-garros)
10. [The French Open Is Serving Up Must-Watch Tennis This Year, Time](https://time.com/6182977/nadal-djokovic-gauff-alcaraz-french-open/)
11. [Rafael Nadal proves he's still the king with French Open win, Axios](https://www.axios.com/2022/06/06/raphael-nadal-french-open-win)
12. [Roland-Garros 2022 in figures, Roland-Garros official site](https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/article/figures-record-breaking-stats-roland-garros-2022)
13. [Grand Slams jointly adopt 10-point final-set tiebreak](https://ausopen.com/articles/news/grand-slams-jointly-adopt-10-point-final-set-tiebreak)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Racket and precision ball sports › Tennis › Tennis tournaments and circuits › Grand Slam tournaments › French Open (Roland Garros)*
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