In a tearful lap of honour of centre court on Sunday evening, Rafael Nadal bade a formal farewell to the French Open in Paris following an homage to the exploits that furnished him with a record 14 titles.
Dressed in a black suit, black shoes and a dark shirt, the 38-year-old Spaniard soaked up the applause from the 15,000 spectators in the stands during a 45-minute ceremony at the end of the daytime matches.
A four-minute video splicing images of Nadal unleashing his trademark shots and fist pumps from over the years at the Roland Garros Stadium brought cheers and chants of "Rafa! Rafa!"
"I played here for 20 years," Nadal said. "I suffered. I won and I lost. I have lived many emotions on this court."
From his first appearance in May 2005 until his departure in 2024, Nadal contested 116 matches. He was outwitted on the court four times.
He had pocketed four crowns when Robin Soderling was the first to beat him in 2009. Novak Djokovic saw him off in the 2015 quarter-finals and Nadal withdrew before his third round match against Marcel Granollers in 2016.
Djokovic vanquished him in the semis in 2021 and Alexander Zverev dispatched him last year in the first round.
In the prelude to the 2025 competition – the first since his retirement from the ATP circuit in November – French Open directors announced they wanted to celebrate the 124-year-old tournament's greatest champion.
"Thank you to Roland Garros for giving me the opportunity to be again on the most important court of my tennis career," said Nadal who was forced to withdraw from the 2004 tournament due to injury.
Dressed in pirate shorts, bandana and a bicep-revealing gilet, the fist-pumping 18-year-old blazed through a field that included the world number one Roger Federer.
"I've had incredible rivals," Nadal added. "Roger, Novak and others who pushed me to my physical and mental limits."
After thanking tournament administrators, his friends and family, Djokovic, Federer and Andy Murray – the other members of what tennis writers dubbed "the Big Four" came out to share the stage.
"After all these years fighting for biggest things in our sport, we showed that we can fight in a good way," Nadal told his old foes.
"Thank you. We respected each other and it is important that you are here. I appreciated pushing myself to the limit because of you all. You mean everything to me and that we can be good friends sends a message to the world.
"I hope we continue to do positive things together."
After French Open bosses Gilles Moretton and Amelie Mauresmo presented him with a trophy with his signature and a list of all his victories, they ushered him over to a plaque in the ground bearing his footprint and the number 14.
More cheers and more tears.
