Two-time women’s Roland Garros champion Iga Swiatek is blazing her own path at the top of professional tennis but says that lessons drawn from her idol Rafael Nadal have helped keep her dizzying success in perspective.

After claiming her 35th consecutive match win and sixth consecutive title Saturday against Coco Gauff in Paris, the Pole said that watching how Nadal has faced success and failure had helped to shape her own approach to the highs and lows of life on tour.

“I think the best thing I can learn from him is how he’s cool about what’s going on around him,” Swiatek said. “Because sometimes in our heads, I think many players are overanalysing everything. We treat those finals… [that] if we are gonna lose suddenly, our life is bad.

“I feel like all these great champions, they kind of accept that they may lose. I remember even last year when Rafa lost in semi-finals, I met him coincidentally next day, at breakfast in the hotel, and I said to him that I was crying basically the whole evening because he lost.

“He was, like, ‘Oh, it’s just a tennis match. You win, you lose. It’s normal’. Not everybody can do that and just treat those big moments as another match.”

Nadal, who on Sunday will chase record-extending 14th Roland Garros and 22nd Grand Slam titles against Casper Ruud, has been full of praise for Swiatek.

“When somebody like her is winning the tournaments and is winning with these results, I mean, it’s something special, no?” Nadal said in his pre-tournament presser at Roland Garros.

“It was a big surprise probably the first time, that couple of years ago when she won here. But the way that she’s playing this year looks unstoppable… I’m just happy for her. She’s very spontaneous and natural girl. Is good to have girls like this, good people like her having success.”

Alexander Zverev has reported that initial medical checks indicate that he has torn several lateral ligaments in his right foot following his sickening injury at Roland Garros Friday.

The 25-year-old German was more than three hours into an epic semi-final with Rafael Nadal when he badly rolled his ankle while moving to his right. The World No. 3 crashed to the ground and was taken off court in a wheelchair before returning several minutes later to shake the hand of the chair umpire and hug Nadal.

“I am now on my way back home,” the World No. 3 wrote on Instagram. “Based on the first medical checks, it looks like I have torn several lateral ligaments in my right foot.

“I will be flying to Germany to determine the best and quickest way for me to recover. I want to thank everyone all over the world for the kind messages that I have received since yesterday.”

Zverev and Nadal had enthralled fans on Court Philippe Chatrier for three hours and 13 minutes before Zverev’s injury brought the match to a jarring conclusion on the eve of the second-set tie-break. Nadal had rallied from 2/6 in the first set tie-break to hold a 7-6(8), 6-6 lead at the time.

Zverev was chasing his first Grand Slam title and the No. 1 Pepperstone ATP Ranking, which he would have claimed for the first time by winning the title.

Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer captured their first Grand Slam title as a team Saturday, rallying past Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek 6-7(4), 7-6(5), 6-3 in the Roland Garros final.

In a hard-fought clash on Court Philippe Chatrier, Arevalo and Rojer produced a strong serving display and showed their fighting qualities. They saved three championship points on serve at 5-6 in the second set, before raising their level in the third set to seal victory after three hours and three minutes.

“I am really proud,” Rojer said during the trophy ceremony. “I know I am getting older and it makes these moments much more special because you don’t know how many more times you have left to play on such beautiful courts. I am extremely, extremely grateful.”

“I want to congratulate Ivan and Austin, this was an amazing battle,” Arevalo said. “You guys are amazing opponents… I feel we are super lucky to win the title today. I want to thank everyone inside the stadium, it was amazing. You guys made our moment precious. Thank you Roland Garros and Paris for this.”

Arevalo of El Salvador and Rojer of the Netherlands have now captured three tour-level titles as a team this season, having triumphed on hard in Dallas and Delray Beach in February. With their victory, they have improved to 24-10 as a team in 2022.

The 40-year-old Rojer is now the oldest Grand Slam men’s doubles champion in the Open Era. It is the third time he has captured a major title, after lifting trophies with Horia Tecau at Wimbledon in 2015 and the US Open in 2017.

“I really want to thank my partner,” Rojer added. “We spent a lot of time living and training in Miami. We decided to play together. I know this kid has a big heart. He showed it today and I thank him. I am glad he trusts me and I am so happy and proud of this moment here.”

Arevalo, 31, is the first Grand Slam men’s double champion from Central America. He has now clinched five tour-level doubles crowns.

In a tight final, both teams dominated behind serve in the first two sets, with opportunities on return limited. After Dodig and Krajicek won the first set, the unseeded tandem then conjured up three championship points on Arevalo and Rojer’s serve at 5-6 in the second set.

However, the 12th seeds saved all three championship points, before they won the tie-break to force a decider. Fuelled by momentum, Arevalo and Rojer gained the first break of the match to move 4-2 ahead in the third set, before they held serve to secure a memorable victory.

Dodig and Krajicek, who saved five match points en route to victory over Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury in the quarter-finals, were competing as a team for the fifth time this season. They arrived in the French capital in form, after winning the trophy in Lyon last month.