5 records set by champions Rafael Nadal and Iga Swiatek at the 2022 French Open
The 2022 French Open was a memorable affair for a myriad of reasons. Amongst the drama and non-stop action, two storylines were keenly followed.
The two titans of tennis, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, had the next generation of players, such as Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev, right on their tails. In that regard, the biggest question was whether the duo would continue their dominance or if a fresh face would emerge as the champion?
In the women's circuit Iga Swiatek has set herself apart from the rest of the field with her incredible run over the last few months. But the question remained over whether the pressure to get the job done in Paris would prove too much for her to handle.
Over the last weekend, both questions were emphatically answered.
On the men's side, Djokovic and Nadal faced off in the quarterfinals, with the Spaniard ending his old rival's title defense. He made it to the final, where he beat maiden Grand Slam finalist Casper Ruud.
On the women's side, Swiatek also made it to the summit clash, defeating first-time finalist Coco Gauff in straight sets.
While both comfortably won their title clashes, their run to the final was completely different. The Pole had a dominant run, while the Mallorcan was tested quite a few times by his opponents on his way to the final.
The duo broke a number of records over the course of the fortnight in Paris. Here's a look at five of them:
#1 Rafael Nadal won his 14th French Open title and his 22nd Grand Slam title overall
Nadal picked up a record-extending 14th title in Paris. No other player has won as many titles as the Spaniard at a single Major. Novak Djokovic is second with his nine trophies at the Australian Open, followed by Roger Federer, who has won eight Wimbledon titles.
This was also Nadal's record-extending 22nd Grand Slam title overall. At the start of the year, he was in a three-way tie with Djokovic and Federer at 20 Majors each. Now, after winning the Australian Open and the French Open, the Spaniard has taken the lead in the Grand Slam race.
This is also the first time he has won the first two Grand Slam tournaments of the season.
Most Grand Slam Men's Singles Titles
1 @RafaelNadal 22
2T @DjokerNole 20
2T @RogerFederer 20
4 Pete Sampras 14
5 Roy Emerson 12
6T Bjorn Borg 11
6T @RodLaver 11
8 Bill Tilden 10
9T @AndreAgassi 8
9T @JimmyConnors 8
9T Ivan Lendl 8
9T Fred Perry 8
9T Ken Rosewall 8
#RolandGarros
Having left his male contemporaries behind, Nadal moved level with Steffi Graf with 22 Major titles, while trailing Serena Williams and Margaret Court who have won 23 and 24 Grand Slams respectively.
#2 Rafael Nadal becomes the oldest French Open champion in history
Way back in 1972, Andres Gimeno won his first and only Grand Slam title at the French Open. At the age of 34 years and 10 months, he remained the oldest champion in Roland Garros history until this year.
Oldest #RolandGarros Men's Singles Champions (since 1925)
@RafaelNadal in 2022 at 36 years, 2 days
Andres Gimeno in 1972 at 34 years, 10 months
Rafael Nadal in 2020 at 34 years, 4 months
@DjokerNole in 2021 at 34 years, 1 month
Ken Rosewall in 1968 at 33 years, 7 months
Nadal, aged 36 years and two days, replaced Gimeno as the oldest Roland Garros champion by triumphing on Sunday. The record across all Slams belongs to Arthur Gore, who won the 1909 Wimbledon title at the age of 41 years and six months.
In the Open Era, Ken Rosewall holds the record for being the oldest player to win a Major. He won the 1972 Australian Open aged 37 years and two months. More recently, Federer won the 2018 Australian Open while being 36 years and five months old.
#3 With 112 victories at the French Open, Rafael Nadal holds the record for most wins at a Grand Slam
Prior to the 2022 French Open, Nadal had won 105 matches in the tournament. This put him on level pegging with Federer, who had the exact same number of victories at Wimbledon. However, the Spaniard's latest triumph in Paris has enabled him to break the tie.
Nadal now has 112 wins at the French Open, the most by a male player in any Grand Slam tournament. Federer occupies the next two spots, with 105 match wins at Wimbledon and 102 at the Australian Open.
As for the remaining three Majors, Nadal has won 76 matches at the Australian Open, 53 at Wimbledon and 64 at the US Open.
#4 Rafael Nadal extends his record for most titles won on clay
The 2022 French Open marked Nadal's 63rd title on clay. No other player is close to the Spaniard in this regard, with Guillermo Vilas a distant second with 49 titles.
The Spaniard won his maiden ATP title on the surface way back in 2004 at the Warsaw Open.
The following year, Nadal won 11 titles on the ATP tour, with eight of them coming on clay. He increased his dominance on the surface with each passing year. At the 2016 Barcelona Open, he won his 49th title on the surface, equalling Vilas' record. At the 2017 Monte-Carlo Masters, he won his 50th title on clay, surpassing Vilas.
With his first clay court title of the season @RolandGarros, @RafaelNadal has now won at least one clay title for 19 straight years. #Nadal has 92 career titles (4th in Open Era), including a record 63 on clay.
Since then, Nadal has bettered this record with every season and it is unlikely to be broken by anyone else in the near future.
#5 Iga Swiatek surpasses Serena Williams' 34 match winning streak, draws level with Venus Williams
Iga Swiatek's dominance on the WTA tour this year rivals that of some of the biggest names in the history of the sport. The World No. 1 won five consecutive titles heading into the French Open and arrived in Paris carrying a 28-match winning streak.
The Pole easily dismantled her opponents en route to the French Open title. Zheng Qinwen was the only player who managed to show some resistance, taking a set off Swiatek in the fourth round.
INVINCIBLE IGA 
@iga_swiatek defeats Gauff 6-1, 6-3 to claim her second career #RolandGarros title with a 35th consecutive victory!
🏆 INVINCIBLE IGA 🏆
🇵🇱 @iga_swiatek defeats Gauff 6-1, 6-3 to claim her second career #RolandGarros title with a 35th consecutive victory! https://t.co/V99DalzqH3
With her title-winning run in Paris, the Pole extended her winning streak to 35 matches, bettering Serena Williams' undefeated run of 34 matches in 2013 and tying Venus Williams' 21st century record of 35 straight wins in 2000.
She needs another win to tie Monica Seles' run of 36 straight wins, which was achieved in 1990. With two more wins, she'll tie Martina Hingis' streak of 37 consecutive victories in 1997.
Martina Navratilova holds the record for the longest-ever winning streak in women's tennis history, with 74 victories in 1984.
Also Check Out :- French Open 2022 Results