Hey everyone, as it is written, Wednesday is mailbag day …
• Here’s Served’s Roland Garros draw show: Some of it still holds!
• Good soldiering: Roland Garros coverage is on TNT and TruTv. Tennis Channel’s three-hour pregame show airs daily.
• In the spirit of the Rafael Nadal ceremony at Roland Garros—I’d argue the story of the tournament so far—here’s a re-up.
Onward …
Jon, I noticed you were at the Rafa Nadal retirement ceremony on Sunday. What were your impressions?
• It was lovely. Ten out of 10. As we’ve discussed before, timing a tennis retirement is like timing the market. It’s almost impossible to do optimally. Last year, Nadal drew Alexander Zverev in the first round. He lost a competitive match to the guy who would advance to the final. He was still entered in Wimbledon and the Olympics at the time. He didn’t want a grand Roland Garros send-off.
Then came the Olympics. Nadal was feted at the opening ceremony. But, in what would be his last singles match, he drew Novak Djokovic in Round 1. That wasn’t the right time for a grand send-off. Then at the Davis Cup, a depleted Nadal played a depleted event. And the ceremony was, by all accounts, lacking.
Cut to Sunday. Nadal returned to the site of his greatest triumphs. He’s squarely retired. Djokovic is at Roland Garros to compete. Roger Federer flew in. Andy Murray took the Eurostar from London. (Aside: imagine boarding a train at St. Pancras and sitting next to Andy Murray.) There was time to prepare a proper ceremony and even invite an interpretative dance troupe.
Even with all this advanced choreography—and none of the neurochemistry that comes with competition—it was an emotional, poignant ceremony. Nadal lost it several times, not least when he talks about Uncle Toni. The public voiced its appreciation of Nadal. Nadal expressed his appreciation of the public, including—most touching for me—the unsung, backstage heroes. (Another aside: I watched Nadal go out of his way to thank and pose for photos with the stenographers who were dutifully working at all his interviews.)
All in all, this was the send-off he deserved. I was lucky enough to interview Nadal a few hours after the ceremony. (The interview aired on TNT, which covered the event.) Nadal was “still processing” as a therapist might say. He was raw and emotional and exhausted and, one got a sense, coming to realizations that were hardening from abstract to concrete. (It’s one thing to say I’m comfortable in retirement. It’s another thing to walk onto a court in street clothes, look at a drawsheet and not see your name.)
I submitted to him that the ceremony was, yes, about 14 Roland Garros titles and 22 majors. But also about what he represented as a sportsman. Here’s his response: “At the end, you go on court or off the court and feel the love of the people … and you achieve that of course with victories—we can’t lie on that—but you also achieve that by behaving the proper way.”
Hello Jon,
I understand you feel different, but I will say that [Naomi] Osaka’s presser and description of her emotions during her match are objectively different than the person’s who was just enshrined with a footprint on that court. I will say that I have never been (to the extent the pros are) “the person in the arena”, but I will say that as a tennis fan watching from the outside that her mentality is distasteful. She is not doing herself favors with a majority of fans with such a “woe is me” outlook. Thousands of pro tennis players have been in the arena. All but one have been able to say “yeah I lost” at the end of their match without playing victim. A great talent, and I do wish her the best, but I choose to support others that want to fight, that want to cherish the battle and the sport, win or lose. I would rather cheer for the journey-person that fights the good fight rather than someone that seems to search for excuses. How can you expect people to cheer for that mentality?
Respectfully, Anthony, Melrose, MA
• For context, Naomi Osaka has more majors than all but one active player (Iga Świątek) and, unseeded, fell to Paula Badosa in yet another early-round match (her 11th consecutive Week 1 defeat at a major). Afterwards, she had a brutally self-effacing press conference that ended tearfully.
I do feel different. But I hear you. A former pro of note offered a version of your point basically wondering why Osaka would embolden her opponents by speaking so bracingly of her vulnerabilities. Players hope to build an aura—think Serena and Nadal. Why undercut that with a tearful blistering self-assessment?
On the other hand … different players (people?) have different ways of coping. Maybe she feels it’s more healthy to give voice to her sense of disappointment. Maybe it’s a flex of sorts to tell the field I am expected to win majors and am crushed when I don’t. Maybe she feels that, personally, it’s better for her to express her feelings than to suppress her feelings.
Obviously, it’s been a rough few years for Osaka. She’s a mom, often away from home. She speaks openly of her mental health challenges. The tennis results haven’t been there. There are external and internal pressures.
You and I (and plenty of athletes) might be inclined to play it closer to the vest, to be less public about struggles. If she feels differently, so be it.
Well, well … how timely was our discussion?! The only possible explanation for Djokovic winning his 100th in Geneva is that he reads your mailbag as regularly as I do, and took our advice to finagle into 250s to heart, ha ha :-)
AM
• Credit where it’s due. This is the same reader who suggested that Djokovic winning an even 100th title in Geneva was a bigger deal than we were making it out to be.
I would submit there was a lot going on here that went beyond mere round numbers. Djokovic, having just turned 38, won a trophy (not a medal) for the first time since 2023. Djokovic won a title after a strange parting with Murray. Djokovic found from where there had been little, just in time for Roland Garros.
The cut-and-paste before last week: “Djokovic would be a threat if he could just get going. Well, now he’s going.”
Even though he is retired, Fernando is still picking Rafael Nadal to win Roland Garros. He is that good.
Fernando
• We had him as a dark horse. Semifinals, at best.
Seriously, the hypothetical question came up: “How would Nadal do if—coming in cold, about to turn 39, with no matches played this year—he impetuously took a wild card?”
The consensus: he might win a round, owing as much to aura as anything. He could not win back-to-back matches. (The idea that he would be the fourth favorite after Calos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Djokovic was roundly dismissed.)
Hi Jon;
Talk about reverting to form—Alcaraz and Sinner look like the top picks at Roland Garros. But favorites can always falter, and Jack Draper—with his flashy serve and volley mix—impressed on the red clay. How much of a contender do you think Draper is in Paris?
Ted Cornwell, Minneapolis
• I like Draper long-term, starting with Wimbledon. Yes, the game and forehand and lefty-ness and athleticism. But also the professionalism. There’s a sense he knows what it takes to go from good-to-great and he is happy to take the requisite steps.
I am less optimistic about his Roland Garros. His clay results this spring were encouraging but there’s still work to be done. His draw has him playing Gaël Monfils—a French favorite potentially in his final Roland Garros—and then, possibly, João Fonseca.
Draper was nearly the fourth seed, a considerable accomplishment. If he plays to his seed and reaches the quarters, that, too, would be a considerable accomplishment.
I was thrilled to see that Jasmine Paolini became the first winner of singles and doubles at a WTA 1000 event since 2009. Watching her practice this year at Indian Wells revealed her to be the most joyous, smiling player I’ve ever seen. Could her late blooming success have happened to a nicer person?
Rob
• To each their own. Every player manages the occasion differently. But here’s a hot take: Not only is Paolini’s joy infectious, it is in service of her career. Whether she is feeling stressed or not, she projects such poise and mirth that A) it must be jarring to the opponent, B) it wins over the crowd, which imbues her with a home court advantage (even when not in Italy).
If I were a coach, I would point to her not just for mushy reasons. (Wouldn’t it be fun to be a favorite!) And not for crass transactional reasons (brands will want to partner with such a happy, joyous figure). But for competitive reasons. It benefits your tennis to project these good vibes.
Hello Jon,
I hope you are well. Just an observation on the matter of respect and humility, did you watch the trophy ceremony of the men’s Rome final? Sinner saying that he would speak English for Carlos but Carlos shouting that he should speak Italian. Carlos saying his family and team deserve the trophy more than he does. Carlos telling the crowd how respectful they were even when “their man” was losing. Sinner giving Carlos tremendous respect in his speech. They are both already tremendous ambassadors of the sport and you (or at least I) wonder how much of an impact the previous top dogs (the Big 3) had in teaching them how to win AND lose. Every trophy ceremony with the Big 3 was very similar to this and it was so very reassuring that “tennis is in good hands” in terms of class, honor, and humility with the new reigning monarchs of the sport. Have you ever asked your Big 3 interviewees if they feel they’ve been that type of ambassador?
Respectfully
Anthony, Melrose, MA
• I’m in total agreement. The leader sets the culture. When Federer and Nadal (and then Djokovic) conducted themselves with dignity and decorum and respect, the rest of the field followed suit. (When the top guys are modest and regal, the No. 11 or No.111 is less likely to act like a jackass.) And when Federer and Nadal retired, one of their collective legacies was a re-definition of rivalry and how an opponent need not be an enemy.
Enjoy Roland Garros 2025 Everyone!
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Tennis Mailbag: Rafael Nadal’s Farewell Ceremony and More From Roland Garros.
