"If this isn’t the greatest achievement by a sportsperson, then not sure what is" - Tennis fans react to Rafael Nadal's 14th French Open title

Rafael Nadal did not need long to sink his teeth into his 14th French Open trophy, crushing Casper Ruud 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 in the final of the 2022 edition on Sunday. With the victory, the Spaniard brought up his 22nd Grand Slam title and extended his lead over Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in the Slam race.

The Mallorcan also became the oldest player to win the title in Paris, doing so at the age of 36 years and two days. Another notable milestone the 22-time Grand Slam champion achieved was becoming only the third man in the Open Era to beat four top-10 players en route to a Major title, after Mats Wilander and Roger Federer.

The 36-year-old's triumph on Sunday was largely expected, with many viewing Casper Ruud as several levels below the Spaniard in terms of both technical prowess and experience.

Despite that, the manner in which the World No. 5 managed to blow his way past the Norwegian was enough to send tennis fans on social media into a frenzy.

Hailing the former World No. 1 as the undisputed GOAT (Greatest Of All Time), users on Twitter threw superlative after superlative at the champion to try and describe his greatness.

Many pointed to his unbelievable record at the French Open (112-3), especially in finals (14-0), to claim that it was the single greatest achievement by an athlete across sports.

"If this isn’t the greatest achievement by a sportsperson, then not sure what is! 14 French Opens!!! The ultimate GOAT," one fan tweeted.

"Rafael Nadal at the age of 36 just won the Australian Open and Roland Garros back-to-back for the first time. Beating players like Djokovic, Medvedev, Zverev, Shapo, Berrettini and Felix. I must be in dreamland!!! A year ago this felt impossible!!!" another fan posted.

"What is there left to say about Rafael Nadal? Feels like we are in an uncharted territory leaving any completion far behind and only competing with the time but in reality Rafa is already timeless! Vamos!" one account wrote.

"Growing up, Pete Sampras' No 14 was the ultimate number in men's tennis for so long. And now we have witnessed Rafa Nadal win 14 just at French Open alone and there are two men just two behind him in the overall count. Quite awesome," another fan wrote.

"There is no greater challenge in sport than playing Rafa at Roland Garros. 112 wins, just 3 losses. Unbelievable," one user wrote.

Rafael Nadal to rise to World No. 4 following his French Open triumph

Rafael Nadal moves into the World No. 4 spot starting next week

Following his title win at the 2022 French Open, Rafael Nadal will overtake Stefanos Tsitsipas in the ATP rankings and move into the World No. 4 spot. The Spaniard currently has 7,525 points to his name, at least 1,400 points more than the Greek's tally of 6,100.

In the Race to Milan, the 22-time Grand Slam champion has a very comfortable lead over second-placed Carlos Alcaraz. The Mallorcan has 5,620 points, while Alcaraz has earned 3,820 points in 2022 so far.