Novak Djokovic Says He's Preparing for 2022 US Open Despite Vaccine Rules
Jul 30, 2022
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 10: Novak Djokovic of Serbia in action during the Mens Singles Final against Nick Kyrgios of Australia (not pictured) at The Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championship at the All England Lawn and Tennis Club at Wimbledon on July 10, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Simon Bruty/Anychance/Getty Images)
World No. 1 men's tennis player Novak Djokovic said Saturday that he is preparing for the U.S. Open despite the unlikelihood of him being allowed to compete because of his COVID-19 vaccination status.
According to Reuters (h/t ESPN), Djokovic posted the following on social media regarding the U.S. Open: "I am preparing as if I will be allowed to compete, while I await to hear if there is any room for me to travel to US. Fingers crossed!"
Djokovic has maintained that he will not receive the COVID-19 vaccination, which will almost certainly keep him out of the U.S. Open since non-American citizens traveling to the United States are required to be fully vaccinated before boarding a flight.
The Associated Press reported last week that Djokovic was included on the entry list for the U.S. Open, but his vaccination status wasn't taken into account when placing him on the list.
Earlier this week, Djokovic confirmed to Adam Zagoria of Forbes that he would not get vaccinated in order to play in the U.S. Open, saying, "It's really up to the U.S. government to make a decision whether or not they allow unvaccinated people to go into the country."
Djokovic's vaccination status has been a hot topic throughout the year, as it prevented him from competing in the Australian Open in January.
The 35-year-old Djokovic fell just short of winning the single-season Grand Slam last year, winning the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon, before falling in the U.S. Open final to Daniil Medvedev.
This year, Djokovic was knocked out in the French Open quarterfinals, but he bounced back to win Wimbledon for the seventh time in his career.
Overall, Djokovic is a 21-time Grand Slam champion, which is just one behind Rafael Nadal's Open Era record.
As of now, it doesn't look like Djokovic will have the opportunity to tie Nadal's record, but Nadal should have the chance to extend it.
The 2022 U.S. Open is scheduled to commence on Aug. 29 in New York City and will run through Sept. 11.
Novak Djokovic Beats Nick Kyrgios to Win Wimbledon; 1 Major Title Behind Rafael Nadal
Jul 10, 2022
Serbia's Novak Djokovic returns to Australia's Nick Kyrgios in the final of the men's singles on day fourteen of the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Sunday, July 10, 2022. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic overcame an early deficit to defeat Nick Kyrgios in four sets in the 2022 Wimbledon men's singles final at All England Club in London on Sunday.
The 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (3) win gave Djokovic a fourth consecutive Wimbledon title, putting him one short of the Open era record of five straight co-held by Roger Federer and Bjorn Borg.
Djokovic is now tied with American tennis legend Pete Sampras for the second-most career men's Wimbledon singles titles in the Open era with seven, just one behind Federer's record of eight.
Sunday's victory marked career Grand Slam title No. 21 as well, which is the second most of all time behind only Nadal's 22.
Much like his previous two matches, Djokovic got off to a slow start Sunday, getting broken once and dropping the opening set to Kyrgios.
In the quarterfinals, Nole was on the ropes, dropping the first two sets to Italian Jannik Sinner before roaring back to win. He also lost the first set to Briton Cameron Norrie in the semifinals, only to win the next three sets en route to victory.
After Kyrgios took the first set, it was noted by Jose Morgado of Diario Record that Djoker had never taken a set from Kyrgios in his career to that point:
Nicholas Kyrgios takes the first set of the #Wimbledon final against 6-times champion Novak Djokovic, 6-4.
Lost 5 points on serve all set, three in the last game -- the only deuce game of the set.
The drought ended in the next set, though, when Djokovic bounced back by breaking Kyrgios once and evening things at 1-1.
It didn't come easy for the Serbian star, however, as Kyrgios showed off ridiculous speed in tracking down a drop shot and put Djokovic in a hole while on serve to close out the set:
Despite being down 0-40, Djokovic battled back and won the game, sending the match to a third set.
Things started to unravel a bit for Kyrgios during the second set from a concentration perspective, as he began yelling at the supporters in his player's box after many of his miscues:
Kyrgios constantly looking over at his box to make sure they’re cheering enthusiastically enough for him is not the type of mental makeup you need to beat Djokovic
The fourth set was largely a stalemate with neither player managing to break another, leading to a tiebreak. Kyrgios staved off a pair of match points, but Djoker finally put it away and celebrated the victory.
Despite the loss, Wimbledon 2022 represented a huge step forward in the career of the 27-year-old Kyrgios.
By virtue of Nadal having to pull out of the semifinals after exacerbating an abdominal injury in a quarterfinal win over Taylor Fritz, Kyrgios made it to his first career Grand Slam final.
Kyrgios had never made it beyond the quarterfinal of a Grand Slam previously, but the world No. 40 played some of the best tennis of his life in London and made it to the end even though he was unseeded.
As is often the case, Kyrgios struggled to keep his composure for much of Sunday's final, but he still gave Djokovic all he could handle and stood toe-to-toe with one of the all-time greats on Centre Court.
Meanwhile, the 35-year-old Djokovic won his first Grand Slam title of the year after winning three in 2021. He was not permitted to play in the 2022 Australian Open because he was not vaccinated against COVID-19 amid the country's coronavirus guidelines, and he was eliminated by Nadal in the quarterfinals at the French Open.
Now, Djokovic is back on top of his game, and he will begin preparations for the 2022 U.S. Open, which will take place in late August and early September in New York City.
If Djokovic can his fourth title in the Big Apple, he will tie Nadal for the most Grand Slam men's singles titles in tennis history.
Wimbledon Tennis 2022 Men's Final: TV Schedule, Start Time and Live Stream Info
Jul 8, 2022
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 08: Novak Djokovic of Serbia celebrates against Cameron Norrie of Great Britain during the Mens' Singles Semi Final match on day twelve of The Championships Wimbledon 2022 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 08, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Novak Djokovic faces a new challenger and a unique situation as he tries to repeat as Wimbledon champion on Sunday.
The 20-time Grand Slam winner, including six Wimbledon titles, takes on Nick Kyrgios in the 2022 men's singles final.
Djokovic ran through the usual gauntlet of six matches to reach the championship match. He eliminated Cameron Norrie in four sets on Friday in the only one of the two men's semifinals that were played.
Kyrgios advanced to the final on Thursday by way of a walkover after Rafael Nadal withdrew from the tournament with an abdominal injury.
Kyrgios will be playing in his first Grand Slam singles final. His previous best finish at Wimbledon was a quarterfinal run in 2014. He does have experience playing in a Grand Slam final. He won the Australian Open men's doubles title with Thanasi Kokkinakis earlier this season.
Djokovic will be the favorite at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, but the challenge could be tougher than previous finals because of Kyrgios' extra few days of rest.
Wimbledon Men's Final Info
Date: Sunday, July 10
Start Time: 9 a.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: ESPN.com and Watch ESPN.
Preview
Djokovic has the clear edge in Grand Slam final experience, and he is the superior player compared to Kyrgios.
However, Kyrgios could have more of a chance against the six-time Wimbledon champion because of his added days off that were caused by Nadal's withdrawal.
There was no guarantee that Kyrgios, even in his best form on grass, would have beaten Nadal, who was chasing the season-long Grand Slam after his wins at the Australian and French Opens.
Kyrgios faced a relatively easy run up to the semifinals. His only major upset was over fourth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas in the third round. The Australian's only other win over a seeded player was against Filip Krajinovic, who was seeded 26th.
Djokovic eliminated top 10 seeds in consecutive rounds to reach the final, but he was not perfect against either Jannik Sinner or Norrie.
The No. 1 seed lost the first two sets in his quarterfinal match with Sinner and dropped the opening set of his semifinal against Norrie. That may open the door for Kyrgios to take the first set on Sunday.
Capturing the opening frame may be mandatory for Kyrgios to upset the establishment of the "Big Three" of Djokovic, Nadal and Roger Federer on the men's singles title board.
If Djokovic wins the first set for the first time since the fourth round, he should pave an easy path to his seventh Wimbledon crown and 21st major title. Djokovic can also take away the potential pro-Kyrgios crowd with a fast start.
Kyrgios should have a fair amount of confidence going into Sunday's final. He is in his best form in years, is well rested from the semifinal walkover and grass is his preferred surface. The Aussie also owns two head-to-head wins over Djokovic.
Kyrgios is one of the few players on the ATP Tour who can claim he has a winning record against Djokovic. Kyrgios defeated Djokovic twice during the 2017 season on hard courts in Acapulco, Mexico, and Indian Wells, California.
Of course, a lot has changed over the last five years, and Djokovic has proved to be the best men's grasscourt player. Djokovic won Wimbledon on three occasions since his last clash with Kyrgios.
Djokovic should win the match, no matter how long it goes, but his key should be to rediscover his first-set form and allow no way for Kyrgios to gain momentum in the final.
Report: Rafael Nadal Plans to Play with Abdominal Tear Injury in Wimbledon Semifinals
Jul 7, 2022
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 06: Rafael Nadal of Spain plays against Taylor Fritz (not seen) of The United States during their Men's Singles Quarter Final match on day ten of The Championships Wimbledon 2022 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 06, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Stringer/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Despite suffering through a painful abdominal injury during his quarterfinal win over Taylor Fritz on Wednesday, Rafael Nadal reportedly plans to play his Wimbledon semifinal match against Nick Kyrgios on Friday.
According to Spanish newspaper Marca (h/t Ben Rothenberg of Racquet Magazine), Nadal wants to play Friday despite dealing with a seven-millimeter tear in his abdominal area.
Remarkably, the second-seeded Nadal outlasted Fritz, 3-6, 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (10-4), in the quarters to put himself just two wins away from a third career Wimbledon title.
Per ESPN, Nadal's father signaled to him from the stands to quit at one point during the match, and Rafa admitted afterward that there were "a lot of moments" when he doubted he would be able to finish.
During the on-court interview following his win over Fritz, Nadal was noncommittal about the semifinals: "I don't know. Honestly, I can't give you a clear answer. I don't know exactly what I have. It's clear something's not right. I'm obviously worried."
Nadal also said the abdominal issue began a week earlier but got significantly worse during the first set of his quarterfinal match.
If the Spaniard does attempt to fight through the pain Friday, he will face a Grand Slam semifinal debutant in Kyrgios who is playing some of the best tennis of his career.
The 27-year-old Aussie has always been an elite talent, but inconsistency has often held him back.
Though unseeded, Kyrgios beat No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas in the third round and Cristian Garin in the quarters.
Kyrgios is a six-time tournament winner on the ATP Tour and was once ranked as high as No. 13 in the world, but his best Grand Slam result before this year's Wimbledon was reaching the quarters at Wimbledon in 2014 and the Australian Open in 2015.
While Kyrgios is just 3-6 in his career against Nadal and has lost each of the past three, he did beat Nadal at Wimbledon in 2014.
He may also have a marked advantage over the 22-time Grand Slam champion on Friday, given Nadal's injury woes.
Provided Nadal vs. Kyrgios happens, the winner of that match will meet the winner of No. 1 Novak Djokovic vs. No. 9 Cameron Norrie in the final.
Rafael Nadal Advances to Wimbledon Quarterfinals with Win vs. Botic van de Zandschulp
Jul 4, 2022
TOPSHOT - Spain's Rafael Nadal celebrates winning a point against Netherlands' Botic van de Zandschulp during their round of 16 men's singles tennis match on the eighth day of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 4, 2022. - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo by Glyn KIRK / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)
No. 2 Rafael Nadal clinched a spot in the Wimbledon 2022 quarterfinals after a 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (6) win over No. 21 Botic van de Zandschulp.
With the win, Nadal improves to 18-0 in Grand Slams this year after already winning the Australian Open and French Open. It's also his third straight time reaching at least the quarterfinal of Wimbledon after falling short in his previous five appearances.
The latest win was another dominant performance for the Spanish star with 70 percent of service points in the match, including nine aces.
The 36-year-old finished with 29 winners and just 17 unforced errors across the three sets.
Van de Zandschulp was seeking his second career appearance in a Grand Slam quarterfinal, but his impressive run at the All England Club came to an end on Monday.
Despite Nadal's talent and momentum heading into the round, there was concern Van de Zandschulp's style of play would cause him problems:
After all, the Dutch player earned relatively easy wins over Feliciano Lopez and Richard Gasquet earlier in the tournament.
The first set showed why as Van de Zandschulp matched the superstar with no breaks through the first nine games. It took until the 10th game for Nadal to finally gain an advantage, breaking his opponent to win the set 6-4.
Nadal is so great ... treat to watch him running after ball all over the court ... and keeping the opponent on toes 👍🏽
— Zubair Faisal Abbasi (@zubairabbasi) July 4, 2022
There were some bright spots for Van de Zandschulp in the third set, including his first break of the match:
Zandschulp goes from 40-love down to break Nadal’s serve in the first game of Set 3. Huge chance. He’s held serve well at times in this match, so he can fancy his chances in this set.
Nadal earned a break back in the next game, but he couldn't serve it out after going up 5-2. Van de Zandschulp won three straight games and eventually forced a tiebreak.
After Nadal got to triple match point in the tiebreak, Van de Zandschulp again fought back to even the tiebreak at 6-6.
It still wasn't enough to win a set, with Nadal getting the key points down the stretch to finish things off.
The aggressiveness paid off for the veteran, who finished 17-of-26 on net points while keeping his errors low. Even with some mistakes in third set, Nadal did enough to win in two hours and 21 minutes.
Nadal is now just three wins away from his third Wimbledon title and third Grand Slam of the year. Fans are also likely looking ahead to a dream final between him and No. 1 Novak Djokovic.
No. 11 seed Taylor Fritz stands in the way with a quarterfinal matchup against Nadal on Wednesday. The American has won four matches without dropping a single set, although he is yet to face a seeded player.
Wimbledon 2022: Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz Wins Highlight Friday's Results
Jul 1, 2022
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 01: Novak Djokovic of Serbia celebrates winning against Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia during their Men's Singles Third Round match on day five of The Championships Wimbledon 2022 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 01, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Novak Djokovic keeps adding to his historic Wimbledon winning streak.
The reigning three-time Wimbledon champion is on to the fourth round after a straight-set victory over Miomir Kecmanovic on Friday. He has won 24 consecutive matches at this tournament dating back to 2018.
Joining Djokovic in the Round of 16 will be Carlos Alcaraz, Frances Tiafoe, Elise Mertens and Ons Jabeur.
Here's a recap of the results and notable matches from Friday's action at the All England Club.
Djokovic certainly looks to have hit his stride since dropping the second set in his first round win over Kwon Soon-woo. The men's top seed has won each of his eight sets since then, including in his victory over Kecmanovic.
There was some sloppiness from Djokovic on Friday. He committed four double faults, his most in a single match in the tournament thus far. The 35-year-old was able to offset it with a 6-1 advantage in break points and five double faults from Kecmanovic.
Next up for Djokovic will be a showdown with Tim van Rijthoven in the fourth round. This is the first head-to-head meeting between the two.
This is Van Rijthoven's first Wimbledon appearance. The 25-year-old has defeated No. 15 Reilly Opelka and No. 22 Nikoloz Basilashvili in his past two matches.
Alcaraz's ascent to stardom this season continued with his best performance of the tournament thus far. He only dropped six games in a three-set win over Oscar Otte. The 19-year-old had 37 winners and broke Otte's serve six times.
"I played unbelievable today," Alcaraz told reporters after his win. "This was my best performance so far. I'm really happy with the level, and I will try to keep this level into the next round."
Things figure to start getting more difficult for Alcaraz going forward. The Spanish star will take on No. 10 Jannik Sinner, who sent John Isner packing in straight sets, in the fourth round.
Moving to the ladies' bracket, Ons Jabeur barely had to break a sweat with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Diane Parry that took just 68 minutes to complete. The No. 3 seed has won her first three matches in just over three hours combined (186 minutes).
Jabeur was nearly flawless with four aces, no double faults, five break points and 22 winners. She capped off Friday's win with 14 consecutive points.
14 consecutive points to win the match from @Ons_Jabeur...
Things did not go as well for fifth-seeded Maria Sakkari. The 26-year-old was stunned by Tatjana Maria in straight sets to become the second top-five seed to be sent home in the first week (No. 2 Anett Kontaveit).
Sakkari's serve and return game weren't working for her Friday. She committed six double faults with just three aces and only converted one of seven break-point chances.
Maria is into the fourth round at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in her career. Per OptaAce, she is the oldest German woman in the Open era to reach the fourth round at a Grand Slam event (34 years, 328 days).
Coming into Wimbledon, Maria hadn't won a match in the main draw at a Grand Slam tournament since the 2018 U.S. Open.
Saturday's schedule will feature Rafael Nadal, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Iga Swiatek, Paula Badosa and Coco Gauff in action.
Novak Djokovic Says He Won't Get COVID-19 Vaccine to Play in 2022 U.S. Open
Jun 26, 2022
LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 26: Novak Djokovic of Serbia is interviewed ahead of The Championships Wimbledon 2022 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on June 26, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Unless the rules put in place by the United States government change before the end of August, Novak Djokovic will not be adding to his resume at the 2022 U.S. Open.
The tennis star said he does not plan on receiving the COVID-19 vaccine before the tournament begins on Aug. 29, per Adam Zagoria of Forbes. Foreigners who are not vaccinated are not currently permitted to enter the United States.
"I'll just have to wait and see," he said. "I would love to go to States. But as of today, that's not possible. There is not much I can do anymore. I mean, it's really up to the U.S. government to make a decision whether or not they allow unvaccinated people to go into the country."
Vaccines have proven to be safe and effective, but that is apparently not in his plans. His decision not to receive the vaccine also cost him the chance to compete in the United States in the Indian Wells and Miami tournaments in March.
Most notably, Djokovic was deported before the start of the Australian Open in January because he remained unvaccinated. Rafael Nadal went on to win that tournament, which was the 21st Grand Slam championship of his career and broke a tie with Djokovic and Roger Federer for the most men's singles titles at majors.
Nadal also won the French Open this year, which means he is two ahead of Djokovic even though they started 2022 tied at 20 titles.
Three of Djokovic's 20 major championships have come at the U.S. Open, although he has not won the tournament since 2018. He reached the final last year only to lose to Daniil Medvedev, which prevented the 35-year-old from completing the Grand Slam in 2021 after winning the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon.
It seems as if he will not be winning the U.S. Open this year either.
Rafael Nadal Says Treatment on Foot Injury Has Been 'Positive' Ahead of Wimbledon
Jun 25, 2022
LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 25: Rafael Nadal of Spain wears sunglasses as they serve during their training session ahead of The Championships Wimbledon 2022 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on June 25, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Rafael Nadal told reporters in the lead-up to Wimbledon that treatment on a chronic foot injury has been effective of late (h/t ESPN's Tom Hamilton).
"The feeling and overall feelings are positive ... because I am in a positive way in terms of pain, and that's the main thing,"
Nadal, 36, has won a men's record 22 Grand Slam singles titles. He's won the first two majors this year in the Australian Open and French Open.
He's excelled this year despite suffering from Mueller-Weiss syndrome, a degenerative disease that causes foot pain, which forced him off the ATP Tour for five months in 2021.
Days have been better for Nadal of late as he manages the injury, although he said he can't be "super happy" right now with it being unknown how the ailment may affect him down the road.
Well, is obvious that if I am here, it's because things are going better. If not, I would not be here. So quite happy about the things, how evolved. I can't be super happy because I don't know what can happen.
First of all, I can walk normal most of the days, almost every single day. That's for me the main issue. When I wake up, I don't have this pain that I was having for the last year and a half, so quite happy about that. And second thing, practicing. I have been in overall better, honestly, no? Since the last two weeks, I didn't have not one day of these terrible days that I can't move at all. Of course, days better; days a little bit worse.
Nadal previously revealed that he needed pain-killing injections in his foot just to play in the French Open.
"That's why I was able to play." 💬💉
In a Eurosport exclusive, Rafa Nadal has revealed that medical injections meant he played the French Open final with no feeling in his foot!#RolandGarros | @RafaelNadal
— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) June 5, 2022
Ultimately, the injury is something Nadal will have to deal with for the foreseeable future. At this point, it's a matter of whether the treatment can enable him to play tennis.
"I can't tell you if I going to be in that positive moment for one week, for two days, or for three months," Nadal said. "Of course, the treatment that I did, didn't fix my injury. Not improving my injury at all but can take out a little bit the pain. That's the main goal."
Nadal is halfway to a calendar-year Grand Slam right now. He'd be the first professional tennis player to do so since Steffi Graf accomplished the feat in 1988.
French Open 2022 Men's Final: Early Predictions for Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon
Jun 5, 2022
PARIS, FRANCE - JUNE 05: Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates with the trophy after winning against Casper Ruud of Norway during the Men's Singles Final match on Day 15 of The 2022 French Open at Roland Garros on June 05, 2022 in Paris, France. (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images)
Rafael Nadal has won the first two men's tennis majors for the first time in the same season.
Nadal captured his 14th French Open title Sunday with a win over first-time major finalist Casper Ruud at Roland Garros.
The 36-year-old Spaniard opened the season with an unexpected Australian Open triumph in which he battled back from two sets down to beat Daniil Medvedev in the championship match.
Nadal heads to Wimbledon as a 22-time Grand Slam champion in search of completing the third leg of the season-long Slam.
The grass in London has not been as kind to Nadal as the Paris clay. He has two Wimbledon titles, with the last one coming in 2010.
The same argument could have been made about Nadal going into the Australian Open. He had not won that tournament since 2009 before he defeated Medvedev.
Wimbledon has been dominated by Novak Djokovic since 2018. The 20-time major champion won the last three iterations of the event in 2018, 2019 and 2021.
Djokovic will be Nadal's biggest rival once again at a major, but the Serb should have the advantage if the two legends were to meet at Wimbledon.
Wimbledon Prediction
Rafael Nadal reached the semifinal stage at Wimbledon in his last two appearances at the English tournament.
Nadal lost to Novak Djokovic in five sets in 2018 and to Roger Federer in four sets in 2019. He did not play in the 2021 tournament.
Djokovic will be the biggest threat to Nadal's pursuit of the calendar Slam. The top-ranked player has not lost at Wimbledon since 2017.
Djokovic finds himself in a rare scenario in which he has not qualified for a major final in the first two majors of the season. He did not play in Australia and lost to Nadal in the French Open quarterfinals.
The No. 1 player in the world is a six-time Wimbledon champion, and he should enter the event as the favorite to win his seventh crown.
Nadal should hope that he resides on the opposite end of the bracket. That was not the case at the French Open, and the two legends were forced to meet earlier than usual at a major in the quarterfinal round.
The threat from the younger crop of players will not be as heavy as it usually is. Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev are not participating in the tournament because of Wimbledon's ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes.
Alexander Zverev could be viewed as the biggest threat to Nadal and Djokovic. He advanced to the semifinal round in five majors since the start of 2019, including the French Open.
Zverev has not made it past the fourth round at Wimbledon. If he can get can past the first week without an upset, the German player could make a run at his first Grand Slam title.
Casper Ruud and Carlos Alcaraz were major threats in Paris, but they may not play as well at Wimbledon since clay is their best surface.
Stefanos Tsitsipas, Felix Auger Aliassime and 2021 Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini are worth watching from the second tier of contenders, but until any of them beats Djokovic or Nadal, it will come down to the two best players in the draw.
As long as Nadal and Djokovic are not drawn in the same half, the Spaniard should make a deep run in London and potentially make his way into the final for another showdown with the Serb.
Prediction: Nadal advances to championship match.
Rafael Nadal vs. Casper Ruud: Career Stats and Prediction for 2022 Men's Final
Jun 5, 2022
Rafael Nadal of Spain reacts during the men's singles semifinal match against Alexander Zverev of Germany at the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, June 3, 2022. (Photo by Meng Dingbo/Xinhua via Getty Images)
No surprise here: Rafael Nadal has reached the men's singles final at the French Open and is well-positioned to win the tournament title. On Sunday, the 36-year-old Spaniard will have an opportunity to win the French Open for the 14th time. His 13 previous victories at the event all came from 2005 to 2020.
If Nadal isn't soon celebrating another title win at Stade Roland Garros, it'll be because of a huge upset. Not only is Nadal the most decorated men's tennis player of all time, having won a record 21 Grand Slam titles, but his final opponent is Casper Ruud, an inexperienced 23-year-old from Norway.
Ruud will be making his first appearance in a Grand Slam final. In his 13 prior showings at major tournaments, he had never made it past the fourth round. And he hadn't made it past the third round in his four previous French Open appearances.
Here's everything you need to know heading into Sunday's French Open men's singles final.
Men's Singles Final Info
Date: Sunday, June 5
Start Time: 9 a.m. ET
TV: NBC
Live Stream: Peacock
Nadal vs. Ruud Stats
Head-to-Head: No previous meetings
Season Record: Nadal 29-3; Ruud 24-9
Grand Slam Final Record: Nadal 21-8; Ruud 0-0
Preview, Prediction
Let's start by taking a look back at how both Nadal and Ruud have made it to this point.
Nadal, the No. 5 seed in the tournament, faced some challenges in the top half of the bracket. However, it was clear from the start that his biggest test would be a probable quarterfinal matchup against Novak Djokovic, the defending French Open champion and No. 1 seed.
After winning each of his first three matches at Roland Garros in straight sets, Nadal pulled out a five-set victory over No. 9-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime in the fourth round, setting the stage for a marquee matchup against Djokovic.
Although Djokovic played some competitive sets, that quarterfinal match didn't need to go the distance. Nadal won 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4) to move on to the semis, where he would face No. 3-seeded Alexander Zverev.
It wasn't a sure thing that Nadal would beat Zverev, who continues to seek his first Grand Slam title. But an ankle injury prevented Zverev from making it past the second set, as Nadal led 7-6 (10-8), 6-6, before Zverev retired from the match.
Now, Nadal gets an opportunity to win yet another French Open title and extend his advantage on the all-time Grand Slam title leaderboard to two over Djokovic and Roger Federer.
Ruud knows he's going to face a huge challenge in going up against Nadal, especially on a clay court.
"I will need to play my best tennis ever," Ruud said, per Howard Fendrich of the Associated Press. "But I still have to believe that I can do it."
So far, Ruud has had an impressive showing at Roland Garros. Over the past four rounds, he's defeated three seeded players: No. 32 Lorenzo Sonego in the third round, No. 12 Hubert Hurkacz in the fourth and No. 20 Marin Cilic in the semifinals.
Ruud dropped the first set to Cilic before rallying back to win three straight for a 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 victory. It was a huge win for Ruud, setting him up for the biggest match of his tennis career thus far.
Will Nadal win as expected? Or could Ruud pull off the upset in Paris?
The prediction here is that Nadal will cruise to a three-set victory. Ruud has played well, and he could be in store for a strong career. But he's not yet at a level capable of taking down Nadal, especially at the venue where Nadal has dominated for nearly two decades.
Nadal will pick up another French Open title. It could be his last, or he could be right back here again next year.
