Days after Novak Djokovic’s statement win at the French Open, rival Rafael Nadal made one of his own at Roland-Garros — and made history in the process.
On Wednesday, the 35-year-old breezed past France’s Corentin Moutet (6-3, 6-1, 6-4) in the second round, becoming the fifth player in history — and third man — to record 300 Grand Slam singles victories.
It also kept Nadal on track in his bid for a record-extending 22nd Grand Slam title. A 14th French title — extending another high mark — would earn Nadal around $2.3 million, moving him into second place on the ATP all-time money list.
- He joins Roger Federer, Djokovic, Serena Williams, and Martina Navratilova in the 300+ club.
- His $3.4M in 2022 prize money gives him a career total of $128.3M, which trails Roger Federer ($130.5M) and Novak Djokovic ($156.1M).
- Nadal is now 300-41 (.880 win percentage) in Grand Slams, including 107-3 at Roland-Garros (.973).
Despite a chronic foot injury that hurts “every single day,” Nadal’s brilliance at the French continues unabated — but he’ll have to stop the top-seeded Djokovic from tying his all-time Slam record.
The two are on a collision course in the quarterfinals, and Djokovic is the favorite (+150) to win the title, with Nadal third (+330).
In the meantime, the fifth-seeded Spaniard faces (26) Botic Van De Zandschulp in the third round on Friday morning.
