On Sunday, we witnessed the farewell of a tennis legend: Rafael Nadal, “King of Clay” and a symbol of inspiration.
Roland Garros will pay tribute to its greatest champion with a ceremony for the retired Rafael Nadal on Sunday, while Aryna Sabalenka gets her French Open campaign up and running on the opening day of the tournament.
The 38-year-old Spaniard, winner of 22 Grand Slam trophies, including 14 at Roland Garros, retired from the sport after his final match at the Davis Cup in Malaga in November.
For over two decades, the "Big Three" of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic dominated the sport, pushing each other to unimaginable heights. Now, a new story begins.
Retired Swiss star Federer and Nadal faced each other 14 times at Grand Slam tournaments with Nadal holding a 6-3 advantage in finals.
The 38-year-old Nadal last month announced he was putting an end to his glittering tennis career after the Davis Cup final
Spanish superstar Rafael Nadal is aiming to cap his emotional farewell from tennis with another Davis Cup triumph in Malaga next week.
Carlos Alcaraz said he was hoping to make Rafael Nadal's tennis farewell at the Davis Cup Finals a victorious one after he was dumped out of the ATP Finals at the group stage with a straight-sets defeat to Alexander Zverev on Friday.
Novak Djokovic implored long-time adversary Rafael Nadal to put off his planned retirement after defeating the Spaniard Saturday in what was likely to be the final chapter of their "amazing rivalry".
McEnroe, no stranger to love-hate relationships with fans throughout his career, said some supporters resent seeing Djokovic collect 24 Grand Slam titles, surpassing the achievements of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Spanish tennis chiefs announced Wednesday that 22-time Grand Slam winner Nadal and newly crowned French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz would be part of the country's team at the Games next month.
World number two Alcaraz last weekend won his first Roland Garros title on the clay in Paris, where the Olympic tournament will take place from July 27 to August 4.
He last played the tournament in 2022.
Nada suffered only his fourth loss in 116 matches at Roland Garros since his 2005 title-winning debut.
"Of course, on paper it is not the best draw," Nadal said ahead of the match on Court Philippe Chatrier
Rafael Nadal admits he will be facing "one of the toughest opponents possible" when he plays Alexander Zverev in the French Open first round on Monday.
Naomi Osaka and Carlos Alcaraz bring the curtain up on the French Open on Sunday as Roland Garros prepares to bid a likely farewell to Rafael Nadal.
Nadal, who has won the French Open 14 times and will celebrate his 38th birthday on June 3, faces world number four Alexander Zverev in the first round in Paris on Monday.
Nadal, the record 14-time champion at Roland Garros, is unseeded this year after injury saw his ranking plummet to 276.
