Rafael Nadal celebrated at Roland Garros by his great rivals
‘Merci Rafa’ all rise for Nadal. Roland Garros paid tribute to the champion who won the most on Parisian soil: a ceremony that brought tears to the Spaniard who, in front of friends, family, team, and champions such as Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz, left his mark on a plaque, next to the silhouette of the Musketeers Cup and the number 14. During the celebration on the Philippe Chatrier, his great rivals, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray made their entrance.
“Nothing would have been as exciting without these rivalries that pushed us to get better every day” said an emotional Nadal, who has faced them a total of 124 times, with 70 wins and 54 losses. “It’s amazing how time changes perspectives – he said – We have been rivals for a very long time, but now we can be happy with what we have built. There has never been a lack of respect between us; it means a lot to me that you are all here. On the court you have also given me hard times, but I have enjoyed being pushed to the limit to compete against you. At the end of the day tennis is just a game, we should never forget that and we can give a great message, to be friends off the court after being great rivals. I hope we will continue to do good things for our sport” Nadal said.
‘Merci Rafa’ is the inscription on the t-shirt of the fans who celebrated the Majorcan from the stands. “In 2005 I played here for the first time. I was 18 years old” he said, thanking all his teachers, from the first coach to Carlos Moya. A special thought to Uncle Toni, his coach for a long time. “You are the reason I am here. Thank you for dedicating so much of your life to coaching me. You made me suffer, you made me laugh, you pushed me beyond my limits. What we went through was not always easy, but it was worth it.
We have difficulty expressing our feelings, but I want you to know that you were the best coach I could have had”. A thought to his wife: “I hope to make you as happy as you have made me happy”.
At Roland Garros, Nadal faced 74 opponents, won 112 out of 116 matches and all 14 finals. Only three have managed to beat him: Sweden’s Robin Söderling (eighth rounds 2009), Germany’s Alexander Zverev (first round 2024) and Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, the only one to defeat him twice (quarters 2015 and semifinals 2021).
