Swiatek became the first woman to successfully defend the title in Paris in 16 years
Rafael Nadal showed no signs of pain as the 13-time French Open champion marched into the second round at Roland Garros with clinical 6-2 6-2 6-2 demolition of Australian Jordan Thompson on Monday.
The Spaniard, who had never arrived in Paris as unprepared as this year after a rib injury and a chronic foot problem hampered the build-up to his beloved Grand Slam tournament, was never bothered on a chilly court Philippe Chatrier.
“It’s incredible for me to play here again on Chatrier. I’m happy with this win. First round is always special,” said Nadal.
The 35-year-old, who has a record 21 men’s Grand Slam titles to his name, played down the chances of adding to his tally but his display was reminiscent of those of previous years.
Nadal broke for 2-1 with a backhand volley winner and his massive forehand helped him quickly move 4-1 up against an overwhelmed opponent.
The fifth seed looked to finish off some points quickly and made several unusual unforced errors, but they were of little consequence as he breezed through the opening set.
Nadal broke serve in the first game of the second set and again in the fifth and seventh as he started to play more neatly, bagging it with a service winner.
Thompson, who pulled a break back, looked completely worn out by then but managed to hold it together until 2-2, when Nadal broke with a forehand volley and won all the rest of the games.
Swiatek became the first woman to successfully defend the title in Paris in 16 years
Soon after being dismissed on Day 2 of the WTC final, the camera panned to the dressing room, where he was seen eating
The 17-year-old Tokito Oda is also guaranteed to become the youngest ever world number one in the discipline
The Canadian PM announces 500 million dollars in new funding for military assistance for Ukraine
Aggressive, six-hitting opening batter aims to build on here success in the first-ever Women U19 T20 Tournament 2022-23,
Firefighters arrived at the location within five minutes and brought the blaze under control in less than 25 minutes
Apart from tabling a big-money deal, the Saudi club had private jets on standby for Messi in Paris and his father in Barcelona, ready to fly the duo to Riyadh to finalise the deal
Airline spokesperson confirms it is voluntary for Emirates Group employees to sign up for unemployment insurance