"We are lucky to witness his greatness" - Sachin Tendulkar, David de Gea and others react to Rafael Nadal's French Open triumph

Rafael Nadal bounced back from a string of surprising losses with a title run at the French Open. Facing off against Casper Ruud in the French Open final, the Mallorcan raced to his 14th Roland Garros and 22nd Grand Slam title with a flawless 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 win on Sunday.

With the victory, the 22-time Grand Slam champion has become the oldest man to win the tournament. Having won the Australian Open at the beginning of the year, beating Daniil Medvedev in a marathon five-setter in the final, this marks the first ever season in which the World No. 5 has won the first two Slams.

Tennis fans as well as current and former athletesw were quick to congratulate the former World No. 1 on his achievement.

"To go out there and win a record 14th French Open & 22nd Grand Slam at the age of 36 is an incredible achievement. Congratulations," cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar tweeted.

"14 titles in Roland Garros. Not to be remembered as just a great tennis player but have to be remembered as one of the greatest sportsmen ever. GOAT GOAT GOAT," cricket analyst Prasanna Agoram wrote.

"Congratulations Rafa, on winning the French Open for a record 14th time & on clinching your 22nd Grand Slam! Mate, you defy the odds every-time, age really is just a number for you! Keep going strong, champion," Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik said.

"I love you, Rafael Nadal," fellow Spaniard and goalkeeper of the country's national football team David de Gea tweeted.

"I acknowledge the possibility of recency bias, but Nadal may be the greatest individual athlete of all time. He has now won 14 French Opens and extended his lead in career Grand Slams. 22 Grand Slams. Remarkable. We are lucky to witness his greatness," Miami Marlins' former president David P. Samson tweeted.

"𝑉𝑒𝑛𝑖 , 𝑣𝑖𝑑𝑖 , 𝑣𝑖𝑐𝑖. Let's enjoy this because we will never see anything like it," Spanish badminton player Carolina Marin tweeted.

The best tennis player in history is called Rafa Nadal, he is Spanish and has just won his 14th French Open. Congratulations," Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez tweeted.

Rafael Nadal surpassed Roger Federer in career earnings following French Open triumph

The Spaniard now has won the 2nd most money in terms of prize money on the ATP Tour till date

As a result of his title triumph at the 2022 French Open, Rafael Nadal has now accumulated $130,695,772 in prize money throughout his illustrious career. For the win in Paris alone, the World No. 5 took home a whopping €2.2 million.

In the process, the 22-time Grand Slam champion has ended up leapfrogging Roger Federer ($130,594,339) into second place on the all-time list of players with the most prize money. Only Novak Djokovic, who has collected $156,543,933 in prize money, is ahead of the Mallorcan.