Rafael Nadal lived one of the most exciting moments of his career this Sunday (25), in Roland Garroswhen honored with a plate in the legendary court Philippe Chatrier.
The Spaniard, owner of 14 titles in the Grand Slam French, was cheered by thousands of fan and had not only the new generation of tennis – represented by Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek, champions in 2024 – but also three of the greatest rivals of his career: Roger Federer, .
The audience wore red t -shirts printed with the message “Merci Rafa”, thanking the Spanish for their show years in Parisian clay.
The highlight of the night was the entrance of, Djokovic and Murray on the court, pulling deafening applause and sharing laughs and memories with Nadal, visibly thrilled after watching a video with his biggest moments in the tournament.
At a news conference after the ceremony, he revealed that he was not sure if the rivals could be present, but suspected that something special was being prepared.
“People’s commitments don’t always allow, but they knew they would make this day very special,” he said. “Novak is already here playing, so it was easier. But Andy and Roger come mean a lot to me, because they represent a very important part of my career. In a way, we pushed to the limit. That’s the truth.”
The Spaniard stressed that the rivalry between the four marked an epoch in world tennis.
“When there are only two, sometimes you lose a little of the motivation if the other starts to lose or get hurt. Here, we didn’t have to imagine, because always one of the four was winning the tournament. We realized our dreams, and it was probably because of this kind of rivalry that we raise the numbers and the history of tennis to another level. It helps the next generation to try to overcome these achievements.
Nadal, who officially ended his career after defending Spain at the Davis Cup last November, expressed deep gratitude for having his name eternalized on Roland Garros’ main court.
“I never thought of becoming one of the best players of all time or winning Grand Slams. My concern has always been to try to improve every day,” he said.
He pointed out that his trajectory was gradually built, precisely because he never considered himself invincible.
“Of course the numbers are amazing, but I never considered myself special. I’m not trying to be humble. Of course my results are there, but every time I got on the court, I felt I could lose. I never lost that feeling over the years. It probably helped me.”
(Report by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Paris, edition of Toby Davis)
