Roland Garros said goodbye to the “greatest player in his history”, with an exciting ceremony of tribute to Rafael Nadal, the former tennis player who will be permanently recorded at Court Philippe-Charier and who was celebrated by his great rivals this Monday.
After a dull ceremony on the day of his official withdrawal, on November 19, 2024, the Spanish historic returned to the home to a last goodbye to the tournament that defined his career, which no one missed, not even Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.
Roland Garros ‘painted’ the brick -powered countertops, the surface where the greatest was king during a ‘life’ -of his 92 titles, 63 were won on a dirt -distributing t -shirts with the inscription ‘Merci Rafa’ by the court who filled the court Philippe -Charier and among which were, for example, the Spaniards Carlos Alcaraz, Juan Ferrero, or The French Yannick Noah and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
20 days ago Nadal debuted in Paris
With his family in the benches, Nadal came in with a giant smile on the ‘stage’ where he won 14 titles, a record, not avoiding thrill even before the organization spent a short summary of his glorious career in the ‘dirt cathedral’.
Exactly the day 20 years have been marked since their debut on the main frame of ‘Major’ Parisian, the winner of 22 Grand Slam tournaments cried ‘packed’ by the applause and shouts of ‘Rafa, Rafa’, starting with French.
With a prepared speech, he revealed to have been thrilled every time he played in that court, “the most important” of his journey, recalling “an incredible story” that began in 2004 – the first time he was in the complex – and also his great rivalries, with Murray, Djokovic and, “of course”, Federer, the Swiss who was his opponent number and became a great friend.
Nadal praised “a unique tournament”, thanking everyone who works on him, a thank you who then extended to friends at all times, the sponsors, to all those who were part of their technical teams, namely to the most striking coach, Uncle Toni Nadal, “the reason why” came where he arrived.
“I want you to know that my gratitude for sacrificed so much for me is infinite. You were the best coach I could have had,” he said, unable to contain the tears. Despite having lost “one of the leaves he had prepared,” he continued to improvise to dedicate the most special words to his family, namely his wife Maria Francisca Perelló, recognizing that the last year and a half was not easy, and to her parents and sister, “the greatest pillars” of her life.
“To end, thank you France, thank you Paris. You offered me emotions and moments you could never imagine. They do not imagine how gratifying it is to be loved in the most important place for us,” he said, recalling the honor that went to transport the Olympic torch at the opening ceremony of Paris2024.
The ‘King of Terra beat’ ended his speech thanking the public for all that made him feel, before crying again with the entrance to court, more or less anonymous, who marked his journey in the tournament.
Inevitably, the deserved farewell ceremony to the former world number one has not lacking the other members of ‘Big 4’, with Federer, Djokovic and Murray descending to the beaten land to embrace the Spaniard, almost to be 39 years old.
Lame
