Andy Murray began his ATP Tour grass-court season in style on Tuesday at the BOSS OPEN in Stuttgart, where the former World No. 1 enjoyed a comfortable 6-4, 6-3 first-round win over Christopher O’Connell.

The 46-time tour-level titlist dropped the first three games of the match but soon found his rhythm, breaking the Australian qualifier O’Connell four times on his way to a 95-minute win on tournament debut at the ATP 250 event. The victory improved the Briton’s career record on grass to 111-23.

Back to winning ways! 💪@andy_murray takes out O’Connell 6-4 6-3 to advance in Stuttgart#BOSSOPEN pic.twitter.com/nhBcQ2TPqj

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) June 7, 2022

Murray opted to miss much of the clay-court season to focus on his preparations for grass. Last week the two-time Wimbledon champion had his first competitive outing on the surface for 2022 at the Surbiton Trophy ATP Challenger Tour event, where he reached the semi-finals before falling to Denis Kudla.

Murray may face Kudla again in the second round in Stuttgart, but only if the American can find a way past seventh seed Alexander Bublik in his first-round match.

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Also on Tuesday, Dominic Stricker sprung a first-round surprise as the #NextGenATP Swiss came through a tight three-set battle with Maxime Cressy.

The 19-year-old qualifier was playing his first ATP Tour main draw match of the season against serve-and-volley specialist Cressy, but Stricker showed no nerves as he ran away with the deciding set tie-break to complete a 6-7(2), 7-6(5), 7-6(2) win. He next faces top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas.

The World No. 55 Marton Fucsovics staged a comeback to prevent another qualifier from advancing in Germany. The Hungarian dropped the opening set in his first tour-level meeting with Austrian Jurij Rodionov, but he claimed the only breaks in both the second and third sets to seal a 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4 and set a second-round meeting with third seed Hubert Hurkacz.

The majestic Salon Opera at the Intercontinental Paris Le Grand Hotel is brimming with journalists on Monday morning. Since daybreak, members of the press have been coming and going in the hallways of what was Rafael Nadal’s fortress during this year’s French Open because they have an appointment with the tennis player, who is with Benito Pérez-Barbadillo, his press officer, scurrying from one room to the next; television channel to television channel, radio station to radio station, newspaper to newspaper, before sitting down to chat with ATPTour.com and the Spanish dailies who followed his footsteps at the season’s second Grand Slam.

Less than 24 hours have passed since the Spaniard won his 14 Musketeers’ Cup, beating Casper Ruud in the final, but Nadal is in no hurry and he talks at length, smiling from ear to ear, without a single glance at his watch.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion, however, is unable to hide the pain in his left foot, having endured two weeks of injections; limping every time he stands up; the Mallorcan eventually takes off his shoe to provide some light relief to his troubled extremity.

Below is his Q&A with the Spanish media, including ATPTour.com/es.

You’ve won 14 times at Roland Garros. Nobody will beat that. It’s impossible.
It may seem like it, but it’s not impossible. Is it very difficult? Yes. I’m realistic about how difficult that is, of the circumstances that have to occur for it to happen. If I’ve done it, I suppose another person could do it. It will be difficult, that is obvious.

How much does this cup mean?
It was a Roland Garros that means a lot on a tennis level because I managed to beat very good players. Mentally too. After everything that happened after Indian Wells, with the broken rib and the limping match in Rome… I knew that I could play the matches, but having the ability to put all this to one side and focus on tennis and play the way I did means that I was mentally prepared.

What has happened since your first title here in 2005 and the last one in 2022?
A lot has happened. I’ve managed, against expectations, mine above all, to have a long career. Of all the things that have happened, I’ve maintained my desire to continue. The people around me have conclusively helped me to be able to continue.

The team you are talking about is big, with the recent addition of Marc López.
I have practically the same team I’ve had all my life. Toni [Nadal] left, but I still talk to him daily. Although he’s not involved in my daily work, I have a personal relationship with him and we talk a lot about tennis. My main requirement is always the same; people close to me. Marc [López] was not on my daily team, but we used to spend a lot of time together and we stayed together at tournaments.

Are you also still winning at Ludo?
It depends on the day. There are days when it is reverse therapy because I have to put up with Marc [López], who has no idea. There’s a great benefit to Ludo; two hours pass by and you don’t realise, and it’s a way to get off our mobiles. It’s positive being with the team playing before matches, or at the airport in downtime. It’s a distraction and a competition we have between us, with an annual ranking. I was first, but I think my father overtook me this week, without playing.

From your first Roland Garros victory to now, how much has tennis changed?
Everything changes in this life. We have to adapt to things. Before, a much more classical tennis was played on clay courts, like that of Casper [Ruud]. Nowadays, there are fewer players doing that, including myself. In general, things evolve. I’ve continued to change things, my racquet for example. At the start of the year I changed the weight and the strings. I was playing with 1.35 kg [racquet weight] and now it’s 1.3. I put more weight in the head to achieve more power.

Rafa-Garros 🇪🇸🏆 pic.twitter.com/0iC9GYREvt

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 5, 2022

And there is another unusual thing; I went back to my old racquet two days before starting this Roland Garros. Now I’ll go back to the other one, the new one, but I felt that I didn’t have enough control to play on clay. I have to thank Babolat because they prepared the racquets for me in one afternoon. My feelings of control improved, but you have to adapt to everything that happens.

In the quarters this year, you beat Djokovic. Can you remember another match of that quality?
The 2020 final maybe was better, but this was more emotional because of the result. I was playing very well, but I was unable to keep it up in the second set. It was the first time I’ve played like that in the last four months. It lasted one and a half hours. If the match against Djokovic had been after a normal clay season, and I’d played at that level, it would have been easier to maintain it in the second set when I was 3-0 and two breaks up.

Without that baggage you have more doubt. Intensity is a habit. It’s added value that I was able to be aggressive again in the third, determined. It was a great match and an exciting one because of the atmosphere on court.

You’ve said several times this year that the fans were incredible.
The fans have been exceptional with me for many years. It’s also to be expected because people couldn’t come and watch us. We’ve been through a very difficult period with COVID-19. Being able to enjoy this new court, with packed stands, was a really amazing feeling.

For the first time, you’ve won the Australian Open and the French Open consecutively. Is it crazy to think of the Grand Slam?
Yes, it’s crazy, even if I was in perfect shape I think. Nobody has done it since Rod Laver. Djokovic came closest last year. More than winning the Grand Slam, I would be content to play in all four.

How is the race to win the most Grand Slams looking now?
Anything can happen. Clearly Novak is in the best position to be able to beat that because he has no physical problems, and he’s playing at a spectacular level. Federer has been out for a long time and you can always expect something special from him, but we all know how difficult it is to come back, even more so at 40. We’ll see what happens. As I’ve always said, it didn’t bother me when we were level, and it doesn’t bother me now that I’m two ahead. I just want to keep competing.

Are you seduced by more victories?
Feeling competitive is energy. If at this point of my career I had everything I have, without feeling competitive in what motivates me, it’d be a different story. That is how I feel. Feeling competitive drives me to find solutions.

How did you feel when you woke up this morning?
Physically, I’m very well, as I was throughout the two weeks. I’ve played matches over four hours long against Felix [Auger-Aliassime], Novak [Djokovic], and with Zverev we’d been playing for three hours when he got injured. In terms of my body, I felt good the following mornings. No muscle ache. I’ve felt fine.

Did you sleep well?
No, because my foot hurt. After two and half weeks taking anti-inflammatories and painkillers practically every six hours, because there was no other choice, it has woken up. And today is a difficult day for me.

After beating Frenchman Moutet in the second round, you had a difficult moment. Can you explain that?
I was limping badly. I still hadn’t injected my nerve. From there, we came to the conclusion that I couldn’t keep injecting myself where I had been because it was continuing to get worse. We made the decision to inject the nerve at a distance, and that was a good decision. If we hadn’t done that, we would never have got to this point.

How long does the effect of the injection last?
It depends. It’s not an exact science, but it tends to last about seven or eight hours.

Does the injection itself hurt?
Yes, it hurts. It’s bearable, but doing that 20 minutes before going out on court every day… it isn’t nice, honestly.

How do you win at Roland Garros with a numb foot?
They blocked the sensory nerves at a distance. If the motor nerves are numbed, you can’t move your foot. This isn’t an exact science either, because there are days when the numbness is a bit lower. For example, yesterday in the final, my toes went to sleep and my feel was worse, but you have to control your ankle. I continued to control it enough to be able to compete.

What are the risks?
You have control of your foot, but there is no sensation. There may be a little more risk of twisting your ankle. The way I’m playing, with a numb foot, it doesn’t matter if there’s less feeling because I go from limping to being pain free. It can’t continue, but I was able to win the tournament because I could move and run. That wasn’t the case in Madrid or Rome.

So what’s worse, the physical or psychological pain?
If I’m not in any physical pain, I’m not in any psychological pain either.

But right now your foot is very painful.
But I already knew it would be. I knew that would be the case when the tournament ended, I had accepted that. Everything I’ve done has led to this pain now, but it’s easy to understand. What’s difficult is not being able to train from day to day. For example, last year I ended Roland Garros and I was limping for two and a half weeks. I couldn’t even get down the stairs. Eventually, when I stopped playing for a while, a month and a half, it’s not a problem in my daily life. It stops hurting. It’s nothing compared to what I feel when I’m training and competing.

Can you remember the last match you played without taking anti-inflammatories?
I don’t know and I don’t want to go into it. All elite sportsmen take what we need in terms of painkillers in order to be able to compete. It’s clear that most athletes live with anti-inflammatories. It’s to be expected.

This week you’ll be undergoing pulsed radiofrequency treatment. What are the expectations of success?
The goal is clear; to carry out pulsed radiofrequency on the nerve to try and achieve the sensation I have when I’m playing with a numb foot. We’re trying to make that permanent. If it works, we’ll remove the sensitivity from the sensitive part of the foot. And there’s another significant factor; we’ve shown that I can play with the distance blocking. If we can get this treatment to work, permanently affecting the nerve, I will be able to keep playing. I’m used to taking things step by step. I’m confident things will go well.

🇦🇺 🏆🏆
🇫🇷 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
🇬🇧🏆🏆
🇺🇸 🏆🏆🏆🏆@RafaelNadal | @rolandgarros | #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/dGJucF9e3O

— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 5, 2022

Aren’t you tired of constantly talking about the pain instead of tennis?
After what happened in Rome, I expected to talk about it here. I tried not to do it during the tournament. The upshot is that I’ve won another French Open, perhaps the most difficult of my career.

Considering all the sacrifices you currently make to play, aren’t you tempted by your future post-tennis life?
I imagine it like what I’ve experienced the many times in my career when I’ve been out of competition as a result of injuries. It’s not something I lose sleep over and I’m in no way scared of my life after tennis. I have a lot of things that make me happy. If I want, I can end my foot pain practically permanently. To do so I have to have an operation that will fuse my foot, and that would mean not being able to play anymore.

Before the Australian Open, you openly admitted that you had thought about retiring. After everything that’s happened in recent weeks, how many times have you genuinely thought about stopping because it’s not worth it?
What’s not worth it is not feeling competitive. If I can’t train, I can’t play. In recent months it’s been impossible. Those that are with me every day understand, it’s difficult from the outside. We’re going to look for a solution with this treatment. I’m very realistic, not dramatic or impulsive; I know my reality and from there we make the decisions based on that.

I can’t continue as I have in recent months. If the treatment works, I’m the first person who will want to continue. If it doesn’t work, and we have to consider an operation that guarantees 100% that I won’t recover, it will be a completely personal decision.

With all the talk in recent days about your retirement and the changing of the guard… do you feel you’ve been treated with respect?
I never get into that. At the end of the day, just as I have received a great deal of praise, I understand that there are questions about a lot of things. I accept them because I also have them. I haven’t read everything though, even less so in the middle of a tournament. I try to isolate myself. I have to do my thing, but it’s to be expected.

We live in a world of immediacy. Everything happens quickly. In recent months, while I was out with the rib problem, Carlos [Alcaraz] won in Miami, Barcelona and Madrid. He’s a new face that contributes great positivity. I understand the need to focus on that, but I do my own thing. As a spectator I couldn’t be happier to have someone as good as Carlos in our country.

Nick Kyrgios made a successful return to action on Monday when he partnered Alexander Bublik to a 6-2, 6-4 win against Hans Hach Verdugo and Philipp Oswald at the BOSS OPEN in Stuttgart.

The Australian is competing for the first time since early April, when he advanced to the semi-finals in Houston. He returned home to Australia for a break after a strong 9-4 start to his season in which he made the quarter-finals at Indian Wells and the Round of 16 in Miami.

Kyrgios is making his third appearance in Stuttgart, where he pushed Roger Federer to a final-set tie-break in the 2018 quarter-finals. The 27-year-old will begin his singles run on Tuesday against Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic.

A six-time ATP Tour titlist, Kyrgios also thrilled fans on Sunday by playing mini tennis with local children, posing for pictures and answering questions. 

Hall of Famer Gianni Clerici, a celebrated Italian journalist whose 500 Years of Tennis is widely regarded as the definitive book on the origins of the sport through the first century of competition, passed away Monday. Clerici was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2006 in recognition of his immense contributions to tennis as a journalist, historian, and broadcaster. He was 91 years old and living in Bellagio, Italy when he passed away.

In addition to his work as a writer, Clerici was a discerning art collector, who amassed a carefully curated personal collection of tennis-inspired art from the 17th century to the 21st century. The exquisite collection including paintings, sculptures, decorative arts, and more, from which more than 30 pieces were recently acquired by the International Tennis Hall of Fame. These pieces are now on display in the International Tennis Hall of Fame Museum where tennis enthusiasts can enjoy exploring the sport through the unique eye of a keen tennis expert and thoughtful art collector.

A prolific writer and broadcaster, Clerici contributed to a wide range of publications for more than six decades, and was a popular figure on television. Known for his immense flair and distinctive personality, Clerici regaled audiences on the air and kept readers thoroughly immersed with his imaginative reporting and excellent storytelling skills.

“Gianni was a great writer who was stolen by the sport of tennis in a sense because he was an artist who could write about anything,” said his longtime Italian colleague Ubaldo Scanagatta. “His colorful description of the players was unique. Gianni would write stories that thousands of people who did not care much about tennis would love because he was a painter in print.”

His contribution as a newspaperman commenced in 1951. He reported for a national newspaper called Il Gorno which was based in Milan for 25 years. He then joined the prominent newspaper La Repubblica in Rome, for whom he wrote for more than thirty years. Clerici’s daily reports were never as steeped in statistics as many of his fellow writers. Rather, Clerici was an extraordinary interpreter of the tennis scene. He would often trust his own impressions over those of the players, and that independence was a central feature of his work.

Somehow, Clerici found time to explore every forum available to him as a communicator including magazines and many books. His illuminating biography of the French icon Suzanne Lenglen, Divina, was one of Clerici’s most important works, lauded by the literati for the richness of his insights and the clarity it brought to a singularly compelling champion who transformed the world of women’s tennis.

Clerici’s research was always comprehensive, most notably in 500 Years of Tennis (500 Anni di Tennis), which was hailed as a masterpiece by many other learned critics of the game. Clerici took his readers back to the 14th Century and carried them into the 1970s in his sweeping historical overview on the evolution of tennis. In the book, Clerici was able to uncover the emergence of the first racquets and balls and other fascinating developments.

Meanwhile, Clerici authored numerous other books on the game including two on instruction. Despite his deep dedication to tennis journalism, Clerici also established himself as a distinguished playwright and was honored in that capacity for the “Best Play of 1987” in Italy called Ottavino e Cleopatra. He also wrote several other plays, a number of novels and even some poetry.

Giovanni Emilio “Gianni” Clerici was born on July 24, 1930 in Como, Italy where he lived for much of his life. As a boy, he developed an affinity for tennis and was a successful junior player. He captured two National Junior doubles titles in 1947 and 1948 as well as reaching the final of the singles in 1950.

In his early twenties, Clerici competed in the men’s singles at Wimbledon, making the main draw in 1953 and appearing in doubles on those same British lawns a year later.

As well as he may have played the game, Clerici was born to be part of his beloved sport in a different way. Clerici was a masterful creative force, a supreme wordsmith when holding a microphone or controlling a keyboard, and ultimately an artist unlike anyone in the tennis journalistic world.

– Story courtesy of International Tennis Hall of Fame and Hall of Famer Steve Flink

Editor’s Note: The FIT (Italian Tennis Federation) has announced that the press room at the Foro Italico will be named in honour of Clerici.

The second quarter of the 2022 ATP Tour season saw significant milestones for seasoned campaigners and #NextGenATP stars alike, some fond farewells, and a classic Big 3 duel.

A clay-court season that began with Reilly Opelka beating John Isner in the tallest ATP Tour final in the Open Era ended with Rafael Nadal clinching a record-extending 22nd Grand Slam title at Roland Garros. In between, Carlos Alcaraz dominated in Barcelona and Madrid to crack the Top 10 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the first time, while Stefanos Tsitsipas and Novak Djokovic added to their Masters 1000 trophy collections with triumphs in Monte Carlo and Rome, respectively.

Below, ATPTour.com reflects on all that and more from a thrilling clay-court season.

Fantastic 14 For Nadal At Roland Garros
An injury-hampered build-up to the clay-court Grand Slam may have raised some doubts around Nadal’s ability to clinch his record-extending 14th Roland Garros crown, but the 36-year-old put those to bed with another stunning fortnight in Paris.

The Spaniard moved past Felix Auger-Aliassime, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev and Casper Ruud to a 22nd Grand Slam title, becoming just the third player to earn four Top 10 wins at a Grand Slam since the Pepperstone ATP Rankings began in 1973.

After Auger-Aliassime had pushed Nadal to four sets in their fourth-round clash, the Spaniard and old foe Djokovic played out a classic quarter-final for an ecstatic night session crowd on Court Philippe Chatrier. Nadal’s 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(4) win took four hours and 11 minutes and finished after 1 a.m local time, reducing his ATP Head2Head series deficit against the Serbian to 29-30.

Nadal was equally as dialled-in in the final against eighth seed Casper Ruud, dropping just six games against the Norwegian to seal his second major title of the year and extend his lead over second-placed Alcaraz in the Pepperstone ATP Race To Turin to 1,800 points as he hunts a 17th appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals.

“It is something that I have never believed. To be here at 36, being competitive again on the most important court of my career,” said Nadal following his 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 win in the championship match. “One more title means a lot. It means a lot of energy to try and keep going… I don’t know what can happen in the future but I am going to keep fighting to try and keep going.”

Alcaraz Doubles Up At Home
Alcaraz picked up a pair of titles in his homeland as the Spaniard’s impressive 2022 continued in style on the European clay. His maiden tour-level trophy on home soil at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell made the then-18-year-old the ninth-youngest player to climb into the Top 10 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings in the Open Era on 25 April.

It got even better for Alcaraz at the Masters 1000 event in Madrid in early May. He capped his 19th birthday week by defeating Cameron Norrie, Nadal, Djokovic and Zverev to clinch a second Masters 1000 title of the year.

“It is a great moment for me,” said Alcaraz after completing a seventh straight Top 10 win over Zverev in the championship match. “It is the first tournament I watched, so lifting the trophy today is so emotional.”

“I want to congratulate Carlitos. Right now you are the best player in the world,” added Zverev.

Alcaraz followed that success with a run to his first quarter-final at Roland Garros, boosting the exciting 19-year-old’s chances of qualifying for November’s Nitto ATP Finals for the first time. The Spaniard sits second in the Pepperstone ATP Race To Turin, with 3,820 points. At the end of the season, the top eight players in the Race will qualify for the year-end finals, and Alcaraz’s current total puts him 1850 points clear of ninth-placed Djokovic.

Opelka Wins ‘Battle Of The Serve-Bots’ In Houston
Big servers may not be renowned for their success on clay, but Reilly Opelka and John Isner proved themselves more than adept on the surface at the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship in early April. World No. 17 Opelka beat Isner 6-3, 7-6(7) in the championship match to clinch a fourth tour-level title, his first on the red dirt.

The battle between 6’11” Opelka and 6’10” Isner marked the tallest ATP Tour final in the Open Era. Despite the serving prowess on show there were 13 break points across the one-hour, 50-minute clash.

“He [Isner] was my idol growing up as a kid, and before I even met him, I liked him,” said Opelka after beating his countryman for the fifth consecutive time. “We’ve played a handful of times and you keep on beating me. I hate you for that!” was Isner’s joking response.

Tsitsipas Rules Again In Monte Carlo
The first Masters 1000 action of the year on clay saw Tsitsipas break his trophy duck for 2022 with a successful defence of his title at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters.

The Greek dropped just one set all week in the Principality. That came against Diego Schwartzman in a Monte Carlo classic to cap a thrilling day of quarter-final action in that saw all four matches go to deciding sets. Tsitsipas squandered a 5-2 lead in the second set, before rallying from 0-4 in the decider to oust the Argentine.

Tsitsipas’ final opponent was Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, the unseeded Spaniard who stunned top seed Djokovic to kick-start a dream run to a maiden Masters 1000 final. Tsitsipas ultimately proved too strong, however, completing a 6-3, 7-6(3) win to become the sixth player to clinch back-to-back Monte Carlo titles.

“I am very proud of myself,” Tsitsipas said after his triumph. “Things weren’t going well at one point, but I managed to stay composed to finish the match off. I am really proud with the belief I put in my game. Sometimes you doubt yourself, but it is always important to keep your head high.”

Djokovic Joins The 1000 Club
Despite that early loss to Davidovich Fokina in Monte Carlo, World No. 1 Djokovic wasn’t down for long in his hunt for a maiden title for 2022.

The Serbian looked back to somewhere near his best in his hometown tournament, the Serbia Open in Belgrade, although he fell just short in the final against Andrey Rublev. A semi-final defeat to eventual champion Alcaraz followed in Madrid but Djokovic was not to be denied as he charged to a record-extending 38th Masters 1000 title at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome, seeing off the in-form Tsitsipas in the final.

Lifting the trophy crowned a historic week for Djokovic, whose semi-final victory over Ruud made him the fifth man in the Open Era to reach the milestone of 1,000 tour-level wins.

“I’ve seen Roger [Federer] and Rafa [Nadal] celebrate those milestones in the last couple of years and I was looking forward to get to that 1,000 myself,” said the Serbian. “I’m really, really blessed and privileged to have that many victories on the Tour. It’s been a long time, ever since I won my first match on the Tour. Hopefully I can keep going and many more victories to come.”

Rune Rise Continues
After picking up just two tour-level wins in the first quarter of the season, #NextGenATP star Holger Rune found his rhythm on the European clay.

Just like Alcaraz in Madrid, the Dane celebrated his 19th birthday week by lifting a trophy. Rune stunned top seed Zverev in the second round at the BMW Open by American Express in Munich and didn’t drop a set on his way to a maiden ATP Tour title after Botic van de Zandschulp retired in the championship match.

“I’m super happy, of course,” said Rune. “Not the way I wanted it to end, but if I look through the week, what a week. I played some unbelievable tennis, really fighting my way through it. To be playing here in Munich and winning my first ATP title in front of such a brilliant crowd, I couldn’t really ask for more.”

Rune carried that form to Roland Garros, reaching a first Grand Slam quarter-final by upsetting Tsitsipas in four sets for a statement win on Court Philippe Chatrier. Despite defeat to Ruud in the last eight in Paris, the Dane’s exploits mean he starts his grass season at a career-high No. 28 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, while he sits third in the Pepperstone ATP Race To Milan.

Ruud Roars At Roland Garros
Ruud’s clay-court season started moderately by his high standards as he won just four matches across Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Munich and Madrid. A seven-time tour-level titlist on clay, the Norwegian’s form picked up with a semi-final run in Rome before he successfully defended his title at the Gonet Geneva Open.

That surge continued at Roland Garros. Ruud beat Hubert Hurkacz to reach a maiden Grand Slam quarter-final and the 23-year-old’s momentum then took him past Rune and Marin Cilic to a first tour-level meeting with his childhood idol Nadal in the final. The eighth seed fell in straight sets to the Spaniard, but admitted the occasion would stay with him despite the result.

“He’s a player I have watched on TV for the past 16, 17 years,” said Ruud after the match. “Of course I wish I could make the match closer, but at the end of the day I can hopefully one day tell my grandkids that I played Rafa on Chatrier in the final.”

Former Top 5 Stars Tsonga & Anderson Retire
A highly emotional afternoon on Court Philippe Chatrier saw former World No. 5 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga wave goodbye to the ATP Tour with a four-set defeat to eventual finalist Ruud at Roland Garros.

”I spent so many good moments,” said Tsonga, who retired after a memorable 18-year career. “I think the most important thing for me was to live this with people around me, to be able to share the sadness sometimes [and] the happiness. What I will remember is all the relationships I had with people around me. That’s what will stay.”

Eighteen-time tour-level titlist Tsonga was not the only former World No. 5 to announce his retirement this spring. Kevin Anderson, a seven-time Tour titlist and two-time Grand Slam finalist, also called time on his career. “I’ve had ups and downs, but I wouldn’t change it for anything,” wrote the South African on social media in early May. “My journey helped me become the man who I am today.”

Doubles legend Marc Lopez also brought his time playing on the ATP Tour to an end. The veteran Spaniard partnered his nation’s next great hope, Carlos Alcaraz, in the final match of his career in Madrid. Lopez’s 14 tour-level titles included a 2016 Olympic Games gold medal with Nadal, the 2012 Nitto ATP Finals with Marcel Granollers, and the 2016 Roland Garros crown with Feliciano Lopez.

Koolhof/Skupski Lead Doubles Race
The move from hard courts to clay did nothing to halt Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski’s impressive 2022 form. The Dutch-British pairing picked up their fourth ATP Tour title of the year in Madrid, a maiden Masters 1000 success for a duo which only came together at the start of the season.

Koolhof and Skupski lead the way in the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Team Rankings. Their closest challengers are Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer, who each made history with their run to the title at Roland Garros. Arevalo became the first Central American man to win a Grand Slam doubles title, while 40-year-old Rojer is now the oldest Grand Slam men’s doubles champion in the Open Era.

Third in the Race are the No. 1- and No. 2-ranked players in the Pepperstone ATP Doubles Rankings, Joe Salisbury and Rajeev Ram. The British-American pairing claimed its maiden clay-court title in Monte Carlo.