With the 2025 French opening kicking on Sunday, it was right to honor the “King of Clay.”
France’s 14th Open Winner, Rafael Nadal, was awarded at a ceremony at Roland Garos on Sunday. The Spanish tennis champion retired at the end of 2024 for over 20 years at the Pro Circuit.
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The crowd greeted Nadal with loud applause and standing ovation on his first return to Roland Garos since his retirement late last year. Nadal was visibly emotional as a video of his career, and his achievements at the French Open were performed for the audience.
Additionally, Nadal was joined by his friends and former rivals, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.
Like Nadal, Murray retired last year and played his final match at the 2024 Parisiolim Games, but Federer retired in 2022. But Djokovic is still strong.
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Nadal is known as the King of Clay for reasons. Fourteen of his 22 major titles came to Roland Garos. The Spaniard won his first French Open in 2005, just days after his 19th birthday. Nadal won France’s final opening in 2022, when he turned 36.
Nadal’s final appearance at Roland Garos took place at the Olympics, where he and his partner Carlos Alcaraz were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the men’s double stomping tournament. Nadal’s final match took place in his home country of Spain at the Davis Cup in November.
