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Rafael Nadal took the opening set of his 30th grand slam final 6-3 against Casper Ruud <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
(Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Follow live updates from the French Open as Rafael Nadal looks to pull off another sensational grand slam triumph against Casper Ruud in the men’s final at Roland Garros. There has perhaps never been more of a gulf in experience between two players in a major final, as Nadal bids for what would be a record-extending 14th French Open and 22nd grand slam title against the 23-year-old Ruud, who has become the first player from Norway to reach a men’s final at a slam. <\/p>\n
At the age of 36, Nadal also has the chance to become the oldest French Open champion in Roland Garros history, as the Spaniard aims to add another remarkable chapter to his illustrious story. Nadal has admitted throughout the tournament that this French Open could be his last di lui as he continues to battle a painful foot injury but finds himself on the verge of a second successive grand slam title after he won the Australian Open final from two sets down in January. <\/p>\n
That victory came just weeks after Nadal considered retiring from the sport due to his foot, and if Nadal was to be crowned the champion on Court Philippe-Chatrier again it would surely be his most significant victory yet on the Paris clay. Nadal advanced to the final after opponent Alexander Zverev was forced to retire from Friday’s semi-final due to a shocking ankle injury, while Ruud defeated Marin Cilic in four sets in the other semi-final. Follow live updates from the French Open final, below: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n
\nFrench Open men’s final: Latest score and updates<\/h2>\n<\/aside>\n Show latest update \n \n<\/svg> \n<\/span><\/button><\/p>\n\n
1654439748<\/amp-timeago><\/p>\n\n
French Open: Nadal 6-3 3-3 Ruud *<\/h3>\n\n
Brilliant from Nadal, first to play the backhand winner past Ruud as he rushed the net and then to flick a drop shot onto the line to race to 30-0. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Ruud did a little skip as he went for the backspin drop shot but Nadal met it and put it back with a backhand winner down the line. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Ruud is unable to return to serve out wide from Nadal and there’s a hold to love, as the authority returns. Ruud needs to get his momentum back. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Jamie Braidwood<\/span>5 June 2022 15:35<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n1654439545<\/amp-timeago><\/p>\n\n
French Open: * Nadal 6-3 2-3 Ruud – Nadal breaks!<\/h3>\n\n
Well, well – just when it felt like Ruud had arrived. That was what it seemed when the 23-year-old played a brilliant inside out forehand down the line that sent Nadal scampering. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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It slips away though, as three errors cost him. It came as both players go high and Ruud pushes the backhand long. From there, a forehand off the back of a short Nadal return missed and on break point, Nadal stayed patient and Ruud gave him the miss he was waiting for. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Another swing, and a disappointing one for Ruud. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Jamie Braidwood<\/span>5 June 2022 15:32<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n1654439155<\/amp-timeago><\/p>\n\n
French Open: Nadal 6-3 1-3 Ruud * – Ruud breaks!<\/h3>\n\n
Interesting … Nadal opens his service game with an error and then elects to serve and volley at 0-15, only to drop the volley into the net! Good return from Ruud and a chance at 0-30. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Excellent from Ruud! He plays a magnificent angled backhand to drag Nadal across the court and a sliding backhand into the net from Nadal brings up three break points. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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And would you believe it! The double faults returns from Nadal, and Ruud breaks to get ahead in the second set! <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Jamie Braidwood<\/span>5 June 2022 15:25<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n1654438852<\/amp-timeago><\/p>\n\n
French Open: * Nadal 6-3 1-2 Ruud<\/h3>\n\n
Nadal unloads on a forehand winner after the longest rally of the match so far – 16 shots – but it’s then Ruud who dictates the rally as he finds the lines and puts away the forehand winner. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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More good play from Ruud as Nadal goes wide on the backhand, before the Norwegian flies into the net and sticks away the volley to take the hold to 15. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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I think that was his best game of the match yet. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Jamie Braidwood<\/span>5 June 2022 15:20<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n1654438602<\/amp-timeago><\/p>\n\n
French Open: Nadal 6-3 1-1 Ruud *<\/h3>\n\n
Nadal springs into action as Ruud leaves him a chance with a volley at the net, as the 36-year-old puts away the backhand winner. Nadal then drops a backhand past Ruud, before he switches it up with the drop shot. Ruud reaches it and replies with a lovely angled shot across the net. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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The hold is quickly sealed as Nadal powers a backhand winner, his third of the game, past Ruud. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Jamie Braidwood<\/span>5 June 2022 15:16<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n1654438316<\/amp-timeago><\/p>\n\n
French Open: * Nadal 6-3 0-1 Ruud <\/h3>\n\n
Ruud immediately finds himself in a tough spot at 0-30 after a forehand error. Another flies past the baseline to bring up two break points for Nadal. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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And that was a chance! Ruud plays the drop volley which Nadal reaches. Ruud then goes for the lob but it didn’t clear Nadal, only for the Spaniard to net on the backhand smash. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Still, pressure. And that was a better chance! Nadal had a window on the forehand as the ball sat up, but misses! <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Nadal goes short and to Ruud’s backhand on his return but there’s another error from the 23-year-old as he looked for the angle. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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He hangs in with a good fix on the forehand, before playing an excellent drop shot from the baseline that Nadal can only pick up into the net. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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This would be quite the save – and he gets it as he crushes an inside out forehand. That could be so important. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Jamie Braidwood<\/span>5 June 2022 15:11<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n1654437955<\/amp-timeago><\/p>\n\n
French Open: Nadal 6-3 Ruud * <\/h3>\n\n
That was a fairly straight-forward opening set for Nadal, who has really seen it all over the past three matches. Ruud needs a response now, he needs to make it difficult. It’s a tough, tough ask, but he’s got to find a way or else this final is going to disappear in a blink of an eye. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Jamie Braidwood<\/span>5 June 2022 15:05<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n1654437745<\/amp-timeago><\/p>\n\n
French Open: Nadal 6-3 Ruud * – Nadal takes the opening set!<\/h3>\n\n
An opening error on Ruud’s forehand side is an early gift from the 23-year-old, but that’s followed up by a miss from Nadal and then an excellent winner from Ruud down the line!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Now then, 15-30 – but Ruud would want that return back as Nadal finds an important first serve. Nadal then comes up with another, as Ruud pushes the forehand wide, to bring up two points for Nadal.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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And there it is, Nadal delivers another first serve onto Ruud’s backhand and the return is so wild it crashes into the umpire’s chair. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Jamie Braidwood<\/span>5 June 2022 15:02<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n1654437435<\/amp-timeago><\/p>\n\n
French Open: * Nadal 5-3 Ruud<\/h3>\n\n
Ruud gets his hands on some new balls as he serves to stay in the set. A couple of beautiful forehands sends Nadal running as he puts away the winner to move to 30-0. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Nadal comes into the net and shows a lovely touch to make the volley – as a stat flashes up to show he’s won all eight of his net points so far. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Ruud responds with a lovely dipping volley of his own after following up on the forehand. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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40-15, and Ruud stays in it as Nadal pushes a forehand wide. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Nadal will have to serve for it. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Jamie Braidwood<\/span>5 June 2022 14:57<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n1654437106<\/amp-timeago><\/p>\n\n
French Open: Nadal 5-2 Ruud *<\/h3>\n\n
Ruud is not trusting his backhand as he runs around two balls from Nadal and puts one into the net. Nadal ups the pressure on the forehand and the sliding lob from Ruud drifts long. A window then opens for Nadal to dispatch a forehand winner down the line, after pinning Ruud back into the opposite corner. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Ruud makes it awkward as he finds the baseline and then tramlines to make Nadal run, suddenly getting himself back to 40-30. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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Ruud then reads the Nadal drop shot but can’t do enough with the volley across court, as Nadal puts the winner away down the line. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Jamie Braidwood<\/span>5 June 2022 14:51<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/amp-live-list><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static.independent.co.uk\/2022\/06\/05\/15\/GettyImages-1401163997.jpg?quality=75&width=1200&auto=webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37659"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37659"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37659\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37659"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37659"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37659"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}