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.

As the sun beat down on Saturday, in over 25 degrees of heat, Rafael Nadal was training at Roland Garros in preparation for his final against Casper Ruud. Surrounded by his family and friends in the stands, and accompanied by his team, Spaniard put the finishing touches on his game as he prepares to do battle for the Musketeers Cup for the 14th time.

“There’s still work to be done and it’s the most important work, closing out the tournament,” warned coach Carlos Moya in conversation with ATPTour.com. “We’ll see how it goes Sunday, there is a lot of wear and tear but it’s the final push.

“It’s not the way you want to reach a final. We’re very sorry for [Alexander] Zverev and we wish him a speedy recovery. So far, Rafa has done an astonishing job of surviving without playing his best tennis. It was an epic effort up to the moment when Zverev was injured.”

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Now, Nadal can turn his attention to Ruud, who has been training at the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar since August 2018. Although they have never crossed swords in anger (Sunday’s tie will be the first match in their ATP Head2Head series), they know each other very well.

“Those of us that are close to Rafa knows how good Casper is,” explained Moya. “We have a lot of respect for him and are anticipating a long and hard battle. He’s a player who knows the intricacies of this surface very well and it’s going to be a tough match. He’s very confident. He’s one of the best clay players on Tour. We expect a battle from the baseline, with long rallies.”

However, it will be Ruud’s first Grand Slam final and experience may be key.

“It’s not the easiest place to play your first Grand Slam final,” admitted Moya. “And anything can happen. I won’t get tired of saying it; we’re talking about Roland Garros and Rafa Nadal.”

Now, the opportunity to pull away in the Grand Slam titles race is just one victory away for Nadal. The Spaniard is searching for a record-extending 22nd major title, with Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer tied on 20. However, it is a subject that has not been broached in the fifth seed’s camp, not now or at any time over the past two weeks.

“We haven’t spoken about number 22,” admitted Moya. “Obviously, it’s on the horizon, but that would add pressure to Rafa. It’s not necessary,” he continued. “The fact that he has won 13 Roland Garros [titles], maybe 14 tomorrow, … is practically impossible to beat. In 17 years, with all the injuries he’s had, he hasn’t spent a single week outside the Top 10 and has achieved all of that. It is incredible.”