Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images
Day one of the 2025 French Open featured Aryna Sabalenka, Frances Tiafoe, and Lorenzo Musetti all dominant in their first-round matches—but it was the tournament’s tribute to its greatest champion, 14-time men’s single winner Rafael Nadal, that was the true crowd-pleaser.
With Rafa’s friends and greatest rivals Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray nearby—and a host of current players, including Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek, in the stands, along with the rest of the crowd at Court Philippe-Chatrier dressed in clay-colored Merci Rafa T-shirts, the 22-time Grand Slam winner grew misty-eyed watching a video highlighting his legendary career.
The man.
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) May 25, 2025
The myth.
The legend.
𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓚𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓸𝓯 𝓬𝓵𝓪𝔂.#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/nJVY4Dy8ZJ
For four minutes, the crowd was rapt and silent as they saw Nadal’s evolution from a 19-year-old kid with long hair wearing a sleeveless tee and capri-length pants at his first French Open in 2005 to a kind of elder statesman of tennis and one of the greatest players the game has ever seen. Throughout his career, the Mallorcan player, now 38, exemplified heart, grace, and tenacity like no other player before him.
When he finally spoke, Nadal thanked the crowd, his fans, his fellow players, and of course Federer, Djokovic, Nadal, and Murray, who walked out to embrace Rafa. (“We competed as hard as we could against each other…and were still respectful colleagues,” Nadal said.) But it was one man in particular whom Rafa thanked above and beyond anybody else: his uncle Toni, who played such a crucial role in shaping Nadal’s early career.
“Toni,” Nadal began. “You are the reason why I’m here. You made me suffer. You made me smile. It wasn’t easy, but it was certainly worth it.”
It speaks volumes about Rafa’s character that while he was emotional throughout the tribute, with tears welling up time and time again, his biggest emotions came when the people who work at Roland-Garros for the French Open came out in force to pay tribute to him. (The French tennis federation also honored Rafa in a unique way: His shoe’s footprint will be permanently embedded on the surface of the stadium.)
But if tears abounded throughout, Nadal left the stadium with an enormous smile—waving goodbye one last time, with his young son in his arms.
This article was originally published on Vogue.com.
