French Open news: Rafael Nadal puts on dominant display to beat Casper Ruud in straight sets

Rafael Nadal's clay-court dominance was on show once again on Sunday afternoon, with the Spaniard easing to victory against Casper Ruud.

Nadal put on a relentless display to win in straight sets, with the 36-year-old sealing a 6-3 6-3 6-0 win to pick up the 22nd Grand Slam title of his career.

The 14-time French Open champion started brightly and an early break was enough to wobble a visibly nervous Ruud.

The Norwegian did put up some resistance in the second set and broke Nadal to temporarily take a 3-1 lead.

But Nadal found his rhythm again quickly after and won 11 successive games to wrap up the win.

After storming to the second set with five successive games, Nadal was a level above Ruud in the final set, with the Spaniard dropping just eight points in the entire set before sealing the victory with a fierce forehand.

The Spaniard couldn't hold back the tears after his record-breaking win, after battling injury issues for the last few months.

The 23-year-old Ruud can be proud of his impressive Grand Slam run, and the Norwegian took the defeat well, and was seen saying "I'm happy for you" to Nadal at the net.

The young star added "This is the first time for me, but the first thing to do is to congratulate Rafa.

"This is your 14th title here, 22nd in a grand slam. Today I got to feel what it is like to play you and I know I'm not the first victim! There have been many more!

"You, your team, your family, you have taken me in to your academy. You're an inspiration and I hope you continue for some time."

After wrapping up the title, Nadal thanked the French crowd with a simple "Merci.

"First of all, Casper. It is a pleasure to play a final with you. I would like to congratulate you for an amazing tournament and career so far. I wish you all the best for the future," added Nadal.

The Spaniard then thanked his team for their efforts, "It's amazing the things that are happening this year. Without you it would not be possible. I would have retired long ago if it had not been for you."

Regarding the tournament itself, Nadal was full of praise, "It's the best in the world," he says. "All the ball boys, volunteers, people behind the scenes. You make me feel like home.

"For me. It's hard to describe the feelings I have. I would not believe I would be here at 36. It means a lot, it means a lot of energy to keep going. I just want to say, thank you Paris.

"I don't know what can happen in the future but I am going to keep fighting to try to keep going."