YearEnder 2022 World Sports: Over the past 12 months, the world of sports have witnessed some jaw dropping action, records being broken, new milestones achieved and some new faces making a name for themselves. The standout moments being England winning the T20 World Cup in Australia in November, or for football crazy fans Lionel Messi finally achieving his dream of winning the World Cup for Argentina. In other sports, majorly Rafael Nadal going past Roger Federer’s record of 20 majors by winning the Australian Open at the start of the year, set the tone for the next 12 months. As we move forward in this article, InsideSport brings to you, the top moments from the world of sports that defined 2022. Follow InsideSport.IN for more sports latest updates.
YearEnder 2022 Sports Retirements: From Roger Federer to Mithali Raj, sports icons who retired in 2022 : Year 2022 in Review
YearEnder 2022 World Sports: From England becoming T20 WC Champs to Messi’s Dream come true in Qatar to Rafa Nadal’s record breaking 21st Major at AO: Relive 2022 best moments
FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™
Argentina vs France. The greatest WC final ever. pic.twitter.com/N1LXwnonto
— 🐐 (@hayutuh) December 24, 2022
1. Lionel Messi’s Dream come true in Qatar
Lionel Messi’s name would be right up there as an example of a fairytale ending. Argentina accomplished the improbable in Qatar after losing their first game to Saudi Arabia before defeating France in the final a month later. Argentina defeated France on penalties 4-2 to write one of football’s most incredible stories. With it, Lionel Messi realized his dream of winning the World Cup and solidified his place as one of the game’s all-time greats. Messi’s joy knew no bounds after winning the World Cup for the first time in his career. Argentina also won its first World Cup since 1986.
ARGENTINA ARE WORLD CHAMPIONS!! 🇦🇷#FIFAWorldCup | #Qatar2022
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) December 18, 2022
2. England beat Pakistan to win maiden T20 World Cup title Down Under
England went into the 2022 T20 World Cup as favourites to lift the title, and they certainly played like one. After a blip against Ireland at the MCG, England lifted their game, at crucial junctures, first to beat India by 10 wickets in a one-sided semi-final at the Adelaide, and then beat Pakistan by 5 wickets at the MCG to lift their second T20 World Cup. England all-rounder Sam Curran was declared as the player of the final and also the player of the tournament.
Stokes does it again!
Congratulations to England, #T20WorldCup Champions!
Iconic moments like this will be available as officially licensed ICC digital collectibles with @0xFanCraze.
Visit https://t.co/EaGDgPxPzl today to see if this could be a Crictos of the Game. pic.twitter.com/ph8NAbaLy9
— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) November 13, 2022
3. Rafael Nadal wins record breaking 21st grand slam, overtakes Roger Federer’s record
The biggest surprise of 2022 came at the start of the year, when Rafael Nadal won his 21st grand slam, and that too in Melbourne, after a 13-year wait. Nadal defeated Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in a five-set thriller, winning 2-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3. No player in the Open Era has ever come back from a two-set deficit to win the Australian Open final. With the win, Nadal surpassed his long-time rival and friend Roger Federer’s record of 20 major titles.
Rafa reigns again 🏆#AusOpen • #AO2022 pic.twitter.com/Ia5JkrcafG
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 30, 2022
4. Indian men’s hockey team SILVER LINING in 2022 CWG
For reasons more than one, Indian hockey lovers had a reason to celebrate in 2022. The India men’s hockey team finished the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games with a silver medal after falling to Australia 7-0 in the final. This was the Indian men’s team’s second memorable performance in a gap of year. In Tokyo Olympics, the men’s hockey team won the bronze medal and managed their maiden podium finish in decades.
Added one more Silver medal to the collection. 🥈
Congratulations to the Indian Men’s Hockey Team on their Silver medal at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games!#IndiaKaGame #HockeyIndia #B2022 #Birmingham2022 @CMO_Odisha @sports_odisha @IndiaSports @Media_SAI pic.twitter.com/SVXJCLJIku
— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) August 8, 2022
5. Max Verstappen dominates F1 2022 season
To beat Lewis Hamilton you got to be special and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen certainly belongs to that category. During the 2022 season, Max Verstappen of Red Bull set numerous F1 records and won his second world championship. The Dutchman, who was defending the 2021 drivers championship, came back with a total of 15 victories, two podium finishes, and 454 points. After finishing more than 200 points clear of Ferrari in second place, Red Bull won the constructors’ championship for the first time in a number of years.
Today was special @redbullracing 🙌 Thank you Milton Keynes 🤩 pic.twitter.com/rXRveAnaTn
— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) December 10, 2022
6. Rafael Nadal’s record extending 14th French Open
Another year has passed, but the question of what it will take to beat Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros in Paris remains unanswered. The Spaniard has only lost three times in over a decade and a half of playing on the red dirt. In 2022, Nadal reclaimed his throne in Paris, defeating Norwegian Casper Rudd 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 in straight sets to win his 14th French Open title. This was also Nadal’s 22nd grand slam, putting him at the top of the list of all-time grand slam winners.
Victory belongs to the most tenacious 🏆#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/HveldTMGf8
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 5, 2022
7. Novak Djokovic’s 7th Wimbledon Title
If Rafael Nadal was quick to win the Australian Open and Roland Garros, Novak Djokovic also made history at the Wimbledon Championships. The Serb, who was barred from competing in Melbourne and then lost in Paris, was determined to make a name for himself in London.
Though the tournament lost its luster when the All England Club decided to bar players from Belarus and Russia from competing in response to the invasion in Ukraine, Djokovic remained focused and went all the way, defeating Australian Nick Kyrgios 4-6 6-3 6-4 7-6 (3) in the final to win his seventh grass title. This was also Novak’s 21st grand slam, one short of long-time rival Rafael Nadal’s record.
A grand day out with the family 🥰#Wimbledon | @DjokerNole pic.twitter.com/5i1eM9EQjH
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 11, 2022
8. Leon Edwards stuns the MMA fraternity
In 2022, the MMA world witnessed several shocking results, including the end of Kamaru Usman’s 15-match winning streak. Usman later lost the UFC welterweight title to longtime rival Leon Edwards. Edwards won the fight by TKO in the fifth round after launching a vicious head kick at Usman.
Leon Edwards landed the ‘Knockout of the Year’ for 2022 💥
Full Voting Results 📰 https://t.co/KWWuT0AdJ0 pic.twitter.com/tyaVbm7hjG
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) December 25, 2022
9. Carlos Alcaraz’s dream run
19-year-old Carlos Alcaraz, had a dream year in 2022, finishing the year as the World No. 1 after winning his first Grand Slam title. Alcaraz defeated Casper Ruud 6-4, 2-6, 7-6, 6-3 in the final to win the US Open 2022. The Spaniard became the youngest player to reach the ATP men’s singles world number one ranking at the age of 19 years and four months.
📸📸📸
Not the first Grand Slam trophy @carlosalcaraz will pose with! pic.twitter.com/mSwj41vcIM
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 12, 2022
10. Golden State Warriors wins 4th NBA crown in 8 years
The Golden State Warriors won the NBA championship in the 2021-22 season, the tournament’s 76th season. In the finals, the Warriors defeated the Boston Celtics 4-2 to win their seventh NBA championship. The team led by Steph Curry won its fourth championship in the last eight years.
Your 2021-22 NBA Champion
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS pic.twitter.com/D9RZoxhqEl
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) June 17, 2022
YearEnder 2022 World Sports: From England becoming T20 WC Champs to Messi’s Dream come true in Qatar to Rafa Nadal’s record breaking 21st Major at AO: Relive 2022 best moments
Follow InsideSport on GOOGLE NEWS / Follow Indian Cricket LIVE updates with InsideSport.IN