5 oldest French Open men's singles champions in Open Era, ft. Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic

The French Open has a special pride of place in the tennis calendar. It's the only Grand Slam that's played on clay, widely considered to be the most demanding surface in the sport.

That explains why some of the best players on grass and hardcourt have bit the dust at Roland Garros.

Pete Sampras, a 14-time Grand Slam winner, never reached a French Open final despite winning at least twice at the three other Majors. Stefan Edberg, a six-time Major winner, lost his only French Open final. Another six-time Grand Slam winner, Boris Becker, only managed two semifinal appearances at Roland Garros.

Nevertheless, many accomplished players have triumphed in Paris over the years, with some doing so after their 30th birthday. On that note, here's a look at the five oldest French Open winners in the Open Era:

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#5 Ken Rosewall - 33 years, 220 days (1968)

Ken Rosewall won the first French Open title in the Open Era.

Ken Rosewall became the first Grand Slam champion in the Open Era when he beat compatriot Rod Laver in the 1968 Roland Garros final. Rosewall is one of the few players who have won Majors in both the amateur and professional eras. He had also won the 1953 edition of Roland Garros.

His 1968 triumph came about in an era where tiebreaks weren't in place. Rosewall opened his campaign with three straight-set victories. He would drop at least a set in each of his next four matches in Paris that year.

The then 33-year-old beat future champion Andreas Gimeno in the semis in four sets before beating Laver to become one of the oldest French Open winners in the Open Era.

Four years later, he triumphed at the Australian Open, making him the oldest Grand Slam singles winner in the Open Era. It's a record that still stands 50 years later.

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#4 Novak Djokovic - 34 years, 22 days (2021)

Novak Djokovic at 2021 French Open - Day Fifteen

Novak Djokovic is widely regarded as one of the best players in the sports history. The World No. 1 created history by winning at Roland Garros last year, becoming the first player in the Open Era to win the multiple career Grand Slam.

Djokovic opened his campaign for a second Roland Garros title with three straight-set wins. He had to dig deep in his next match, recovering from a two-set deficit to beat young Italian Lorenzo Musetti. Another Italian, Matteo Berrettini, took a set off the Serb but couldn't prevent him from reaching the semifinals.

In one of the best matches in Roland Garros history, Djokovic recovered from a set down to floor 13-time champion Rafael Nadal in the last four. By doing so, he became the first player to beat the legendary Spaniard multiple times in the tournament.

On the brink of history, Djokovic found himself two sets down against first-time Grand Slam finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas. However, he dug deep to claim a record-equalling 20th Major title, drawing level with Roger Federer and Nadal atop the all-time Grand Slam leaderboard.

That win also made him the third 34-year-old in the Open Era to triumph at Roland Garros.

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#3 Rafael Nadal - 34 years, 130 days (2020)

Nadal reigned supreme once again.

Rafael Nadal produced a campaign to remember at the 2020 Roland Garros. The Spaniard whizzed through the competition without dropping a set all fortnight, beating his great rival Novak Djokovic in the final, losing just seven games.

Nadal was in sublime form in his first four matches, dropping a measly 23 games, with ten of them coming in the first round. Jannik Sinner stretched the legend to a tiebreak, but Nadal reestablished his supremacy, dropping only five games in the remainder of the match.

Diego Schwartzman also took the Spaniard to a tiebreak but was powerless to stop the rampaging left-hander from storming to a 13th Roland Garros final.

In what was touted to be his toughest match of the fortnight, Nadal made light work of Djokovic, who was looking to achieve the multiple career Grand Slam. The Spaniard bagelled his opponent in the first set and conceded just two games in the second.

Djokovic offered some resistance in the third but couldn't prevent the Spaniard from winning a record-extending 13th title at Roland Garros. In the process, Nadal drew level with Federer (20) for most Grand Slam titles in the Open Era.

It was Nadal's fourth success at Roland Garros without dropping a set after he managed the same in 2008, 2010 and 2017.

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#2 Andres Gimeno - 34 years, 305 days (1972)

Andreas Gimeno (left) won the French Open in 1972.

Andreas Gimeno created history at the 1972 French Open, beating Patrick Proisy in the final to become the oldest first-time Grand Slam winner in the Open Era.

The then 34-year-old had lost to eventual champion Ken Rosewall in the semifinals of the first-ever Open Era Grand Slam at the 1968 Roland Garros. A year later, he would make the quarterfinals.

After being absent for two years, Gimeno was the last man standing at the claycourt Major. He returned to defend his title the following year but was beaten in the second round in what would be his final appearance at the tournament.

He expired in Barcelona in 2019 at the age of 82.

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#1 Rafael Nadal (14-time French Open winner) - 36 years, 2 days (2022)

2022 French Open - Day Fifteen

Rafael Nadal produced a historic campaign at the 2022 French Open. Entering the tournament for the first time without winning a claycourt title on the season - quarterfinal exit at Madrid and third round at Rome - Nadal was the last man standing at the Parisian terre batue once again.

Two days after turning 36, Nadal beat first-time Grand Slam finalist Casper Ruud for the loss of just six games - including a bagel third set - to become the oldest French Open winner in the Open Era. In the process, he broke a record that stood for five decades.

The Spaniard opened up on his injury-plagued build-up:

"The preparation was not idea. I had a stress fracture of the rib, then I have the foot (pain), which stays there all the time. I had my doctor here with me -- I don't know how to say in English what we did. We played with no feeling on the foot, we played with an injection in the nerve so the foot was asleep; that's why I was able to play."

There was little inkling of injury as the Spaniard cruised through the first three rounds without dropping a set. Nadal had his first real test against Felix Auger-Aliassime in the fourth round, trailing two sets to one, but survived.

That was followed by a clash against his eternal rival Novak Djokovic, but Nadal emerged triumphant in a fourth-set tiebreak. An entertaining semifinal clash with Alexander Zverev got cut short early, as the German endured a nasty ankle twist late in the second set and had to retire.

Nadal made the most of the opportunity to win a record-extending 14th Roland Garros title.