Serena Williams reacts to Rafael Nadal's 22nd Slam victory at the French Open

Two days after the 2022 Roland Garros ended, legendary American player Serena Williams congratulated Rafael Nadal on winning his 14th French Open title.

"Rafa!!!!!," Williams tweeted.

In the championship match, Nadal beat Norwegian Casper Ruud 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 and became the first man to win 22 Major titles. The other two members of the Big 3, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, are tied for 20 Slams each.

In the overall Grand Slam race, the Spaniard is now level with Germany's Steffi Graf. The only players above them are Serena Williams with 23 Majors and Margaret Court with 24.

Former World No. 1 Williams has been missing from the tour for a year now. The last time she played was in the first round of the 2021 Wimbledon Championships, where she had to retire due to a leg injury against Aliaksandra Sasnovich.

Her last Grand Slam title came at the 2017 Australian Open, which makes this the longest period of her career without a Major title. In a bid to equal Margaret Court's 24 Grand Slam titles, Williams has lost her last four Major finals.

The Australian Open and Wimbledon have been Williams' most successful Slams. The American has won both Majors seven times.

Serena Williams and Roger Federer set to miss 2022 Wimbledon Championships

Williams has not played a match since she sustained an injury in the first round at Wimbledon last year

Fans were left heartbroken when Serena Williams' name did not appear on the entry list for Wimbledon this year. Some hope remained with reports that the American could enter the tournament via a wildcard, but it wasn't long before she confirmed her absence from the grasscourt Major.

A few other top players who will not feature in the third Grand Slam of the year are Roger Federer, who is still recovering from a knee injury, Venus Williams, and Leylah Fernandez.

Also, since Wimbledon banned Russian and Belarusian players this year, World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Karen Khachanov, Aryna Sabalenka, and Daria Kasatkina will not play in the event.