Nadal thanks fans worldwide for showering praises after 14th French Open victory

Spanish ace Rafael Nadal defeated Casper Ruud in straight sets to win a 14th French Open and overall 22nd Grand Slam crown.

Hours after clinching his record-extending 14th French Open title, Spanish ace Rafael Nadal thanked fans for appreciating his feat and expressed joy over bagging yet another victory at the Roland Garros.

The 36-year-old crushed Norway's Casper Ruud 6-3 6-3 6-0 to bag to take his tally to an all-time best 22 men's Grand Slam titles, two more than rivals Swiss Roger Federer and world number one Novak Djokovic of Serbia.

The 22-time Grand Slam winner is now the oldest champion at Roland Garros, eclipsing 34-year-old compatriot Andres Gimeno who took the crown 50 years ago.

Congratulatory messages flooded social media platforms after the Spaniard achieved this historic feat. From legends, pundits and fans, messages lauding Nadal poured in and continue to do so.

Taking to Instagram, Nadal expressed gratitude and said, "Very very happy!!! Thank you so much !!! To all my fans around the world… thanks."

Following his 14th French Open win, Nadal told the crowd at Court Philipp Chatrier, "I don't know what can happen in the future. I will keep fighting to try to keep going."

"For me it is incredible to play here with amazing support from you to me," the King of Clay lauded. 

"For me personally, it is very difficult to describe the feelings that I have. It's something that I for sure never believed, to be here at 36, being competitive again, playing in the most important court of my career one more final," Nadal remarked.