French Open champion Rafael Nadal surpasses Roger Federer in career earnings, trails only Novak Djokovic
Rafael Nadal added yet another feather to his cap following his 2022 French Open triumph. With his 14th Roland Garros crown, he has now moved into second place on the list of highest earners in men's tennis.
The Spaniard looked a class apart against first-time Grand Slam finalist Casper Ruud on Sunday, winning 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 in a little over two hours. Despite struggling with injuries, the 22-time Grand Slam champion has lost just three matches since the season began.
Sunday's victory took the Spaniard's total prize money to $130,695,772. Nadal surpassed Roger Federer, who has earned $130,594,339 in his career so far from tournaments. Novak Djokovic is the highest earner with $156,543,933 to his name.
The Spaniard started the year behind Federer in terms of on-court earnings, but added $5,732,907 and four titles to his tally in the first six months.
He pocketed $2,358,180 (2.2 million euros) by winning the 2022 Roland Garros title. Earlier this year, he earned $2,875,000 by winning the Australian Open.
For the first time in his career, the Spaniard has won both the Australian Open and the French Open in the same year.
"A lot of energy to try to keep going" - Rafael Nadal after clinching the 2022 French Open title
Throughout the tournament, questions were asked about Rafael Nadal's future after he hinted at being more uncomfortable than ever with regards to his foot injury.
Those concerns remain, but the Mallorcan vowed to keep fighting after winning his 22nd Major title.
"For me personally it is very difficult to describe the feelings that I have. It's for sure something that I never believed that I'd be here, at 36, being competitive again, playing on the most important court of my career one more time in the final, means a lot to me and means everything. It means a lot of energy to try to keep going," Nadal said, adding, "I don't know what can happen in the future but I'm gonna keep fighting to try to keep going."
While there have been reports suggesting the 36-year-old will skip this year's Wimbledon Championships to take some much-needed rest, the Spaniard himself has not yet confirmed the news.
For the first time in his illustrious career, he is halfway to completing the Calendar Grand Slam.