Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Roger Federer now have a combined 1000 Grand Slam match wins
Rafael Nadal's defeat of Alexander Zverev on Friday saw him progress to his 14th French Open final. The win was also the Big 3' 1000th Grand Slam victory, another sign of their dominance over the years.
The Spaniard registered a 7-6(8), 6-6 (ret) win over Zverev to collect his 304th Grand Slam match win. Earlier in the tournament, he became just the third player to pick up 300 Grand Slam match wins after his second-round straight sets triumph over Corentin Moutet.
In comparison, Federer has 369 wins at Grand Slams, the most by a male player. The Swiss superstar's 369th and last win at a Slam came in the fourth round of the 2021 Wimbledon Championships when he defeated Italy's Lorenzo Sonego 7-5, 6-4, 6-2.
With 327 victories, Djokovic is behind Federer and ahead of Nadal. The Serb's latest victory came earlier this week in the fourth round of the Roland Garros, where he beat Diego Schwartzman 6-1, 6-3, 6-3.
While Federer and Djokovic lead Nadal for most matches won at Grand Slams, Nadal holds the upper hand when it comes to head-to-head meetings in the Majors.
He has eight wins from 10 meetings against Djokovic at the French Open, and 11 wins from 18 overall.
Against Federer, the 21-time Grand Slam champion has a 10-4 win-loss record at the Majors. Three of Federer's four wins came at Wimbledon (2006, 2007 and 2019), while the fourth came in the epic 2017 Australian Open final.
Rafael Nadal on the verge of record-extending 22nd Grand Slam title
With 21 trophies, Rafael Nadal is already leading the race for the all-time Grand Slam men's singles titles. On Sunday, he has a chance to further extend his lead over Federer and Djokovic when he takes to the court for the French Open final.
In the 29 Slam finals he has played so far, the Spaniard has managed to win 21.
Speaking after reaching yet another Major final, the 36-year-old said his love for the sport keeps him going even after achieving so much and despite the injury troubles.
"It's about every day. No, I mean, it's not about things that you need to prove. It's about how much you enjoy doing what you are doing or if you don't enjoy, then is another story, no? But if you like what you are doing, you keep going," he said in his post-match presser after the semifinals.
He said that the joy of competing and playing in the best stadiums meant the world to him.
"Of course I enjoy. And if I am healthy enough to play, I like the competition, honestly, no? And the competition, I like to play in the best stadiums of the world and feel myself at my age still competitive. Means a lot to me, no?" the Spaniard continued.
His final challenge at the 2022 French Open is World No. 8 Casper Ruud, who has won 17 matches this claycourt season and is on a 10-match winning streak..