French Open 2022 - Rafael Nadal perseveres yet again in a year that's been anything but ordinary

PARIS — Rafael Nadal is used to overcoming adversity. His entire year has been anchored around it — whether it's his chronic foot injury, a rib fracture or his own Uncle Toni attempting to mastermind his downfall.

But Nadal has remained in control of his 2022 script, despite his five-set win over Felix Auger-Aliassime on Sunday that stretched him to his maximum.

«I'm very thankful to play another year here,» Nadal said after his 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 victory. «Every match that I play here, I don't want it to be my last match at Roland Garros. I'm thankful to keep living the dream.'»

There were times on Sunday when Nadal looked human. We're not used to seeing him tested like this at this stage. It was jarring. But then came a passing shot at the net, and the hop, skip and three fist pumps, and everything was back to normal.

The reality, though, is that Nadal's 2022 season is far from normal. The Nadal of the previous 13 titles here in Paris is now a different player, a man who lives in constant pain and is always hoping his body marries his mind's instincts on the court.

Somehow there's still a synergy that allows him to keep on winning.

His triumph at the Australian Open was completely ridiculous, given that six weeks prior to the start of the tournament he was talking about the possibility of retirement. But across the next fortnight he stretched ahead of the rest to secure his 21st Grand Slam title. He went on to take the Mexican Open, and with Djokovic's schedule unclear at that stage, and Roger Federer absent, it looked like it'd be the year of Nadal.

But again there was a twist in the road, this time a fractured rib he suffered while at Indian Wells in March. He missed six weeks of the season.

He returned for the