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PARIS, France (AFP) — Rafael Nadal was given a rousing reception as the “King of Clay” stepped onto Court Philippe Chatrier for the final time on Sunday in an "unforgettable" ceremony to celebrate his career at the French Open.
The 38-year-old legend, who retired from tennis last November, was serenaded by the Roland Garros crowd, with spectators wearing different colored T-shirts to create the message "14 RG, Rafa."
Nadal dominated the French Open after winning on debut as a teenager in 2005, lifting the trophy a record-breaking 14 times.
The Spaniard finished with a remarkable 112-4 win-loss record at the clay-court Grand Slam.
He last won the title in 2022 and played his final match on the Paris clay last year when he was defeated by Alexander Zverev in the first round.
"I don't know how to start... I've been playing on this court for 20 years. I suffered, I won, I lost. I have experienced many emotions here on this court," an emotional Nadal told the crowd after watching a video of his career highlights at Roland Garros.
Nadal's family and friends watched from the player's box, along with many of his former coaching staff, including his uncle Toni.
"It has been unforgettable, plenty of emotions for a guy like me that doesn't love these kinds of things because I'm still a little bit shy about all this stuff," Nadal told reporters.
"I don't like to be the center of attention for these things. It was enough when I was playing tennis. But I enjoyed it, honestly. I suffered a little bit with the emotions, but I enjoyed it a lot."
Nadal's long-time rivals Novak Djokovic, fresh from winning his 100th ATP title on Saturday, Roger Federer and Andy Murray all joined him on the main Chatrier court.
The trio walked out after Nadal's speech to greet their fellow former world No. 1, to a deafening roar from the fans.
"To have my three biggest rivals there on the court with me meant a lot," Nadal said of the other members of the "Big Four."
"At the same time, it's a great message for the world, I think, that the best rivals, the toughest rivals probably in the history of our sport are able to be good colleagues, to respect each other.”
"You don't need to hate the opponent to try to beat him with all your force. And that's the message that I think we showed people, we showed the new generations, and in some way that's our legacy."
