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Tom Hamilton, Senior Writer
PARIS — CONGRATULATIONS and shouts of “Vamos Rafa!” starts even before the first sight of Rafael Nadal on the Philippe-Chatrier Court. Just like in previous years, the crowd cheered louder than ever as their hero warmed up, as stadium announcer Marc Maury read out his incredible list of victories at the French Open .
But when the match continued with Alexander Zverevthe cheers turned from excitement to anxiety, and when it slipped from Nadal’s handthe crowd tries to persuade him.
If this truly was Nadal’s last shot at the French Open men’s singles, he would have fallen to Zverev. Although Nadal has tried all week to downplay the notion that this fortnight in Paris will be the highlight of his farewell tour, there is still a sense of finality. His old enemy Novak Djokovic was in the crowd. His fans and Grand Slam champions Iga Swiatek And Carlos Alcaraz Also there, there was no room left on the performance court at Roland Garros, for the first round match. They’re all hoping for an eventual Nadal victory — like Serena Williams‘ fans did so at the 2022 US Open.
But tennis is cruel and there is little room for emotion. For all of Nadal’s efforts to get back into the match, the cheering trumpets, the red and yellow flags in the crowd, and the inevitable moments reminiscent of the old Nadal, there will be no upswing. finally at Roland Garros. At least this year.
“If this is the last time I play here, I feel at peace with myself,” Nadal said. “I’ve been trying everything to get ready for this tournament for almost 20 years. And today, like the past two years, I’ve worked and gone through perhaps the most difficult process of my tennis career.” , with the dream of coming back here. At least I did.” I mean, I lost, but that’s part of the business.”
EVER SINCE NADAL debuted here in 2005, winning the men’s singles championship the same year, the place has become synonymous with him. His record is truly ridiculous: 14 singles titles, a record 112 wins in 116 matches, which corresponds to a win rate of 96.5% – the highest win rate of any singles player in a professional tournament. He won the 2008, 2010, 2017 and 2020 tournaments without dropping a set. Losing to Zverev means Nadal has only lost to three people here. Zverev now sits next to him Robin Söderling (fourth round, 2009) and Djokovic (quarterfinals 2015, semi-finals 2021) when defeating Nadal in Paris.
All of that turned him into this legendary figure, yet the beauty of it is that, unlike many other masters, you can still witness his virtuosity: He still there in front of you, hitting that famous forehand, complete with the familiar front serve. setup process.
“I feel so lucky to be here, to still be able to see him, in the dressing room or in the players’ restaurant, or to see him training with the passion he has – it’s true. Great,” Sinner Jannik Friday said. “He’s definitely the biggest inspiration we have in our sport, right?” For further proof of the love that surrounds Nadal, see Alize Cornet’s reaction to a good luck text he sent her before she retired.
But whether this will be the last time we see him at the French Open only he knows. He has been reluctant to relinquish any control over his fortunes here – even to the extent that he is said to have lobbied for the first round match to be held in the afternoon, rather than at evening performance. Those are his preferred conditions – less humidity, lighter tennis balls.
“Roland Garros was the most important tournament of my tennis career and all the things I lived there and enjoyed there will remain in my heart forever.”
Rafael Nadal
For a long time, this seemed like his last hurrah. That’s the story anyway, since he announced in May 2023 that he was withdrawing from the French Open (then sidelined for the rest of the year after hip surgery ) and in the same press conference said that 2024 would likely be his “last year”. “during the trip.
“I don’t think I deserved to end up like this,” he said at the time, sitting in his tennis academy in Manacor, Spain. He wanted to end his career on the field one last time, sweaty and exhausted.
That press conference took place this season as his farewell tour; Surely that is enough for the French Open organizers to plan a farewell ceremony for Nadal this year. But then comes the curve. On Saturday – before a standing-room-only press conference – he added his own opinion to the debate about his future. He takes control of the narrative: this is no longer a long goodbye but instead he has opened the door to playing on beyond 2024.
“It’s a big, huge chance that this will be my last Roland Garros, but if I have to tell you that it’s 100% my last Roland Garros, sorry, but I won’t, Because I can’t predict what’s going on.” He added that he doesn’t want to “shut down 100%”, saying he is enjoying his tennis, enjoys having his family with him on tour and is still learning what his body can do. What can you endure?
HE CAME The French Open has been inconsistent – 5-3 on clay this year – as he recovers from an abdominal injury that cut short his hard-court season at the start of the year. He was forced to sit out Monte Carlo, and his withdrawal raised concerns that he would not be able to compete at Roland Garros. “My body wouldn’t let me [return]”, Nadal said at the time. “Things are getting difficult for me. It’s been a tough year and a half and I’m trying every day.”
But he made it back to Barcelona, where he lost in the second round first Alex De Minaur. In Madrid, he faced De Minaur again and won in straight sets, but he was still unsure if his body could handle Paris.
“It’s difficult to understand some things, but for me, Roland Garros is the most important tournament of my tennis career and all the things I lived there, enjoyed there will remain in my heart me forever,” Nadal said in Madrid. “So it’s not about losing or winning. It’s about going out there with the feeling that I can fight and I can compete, and you know, go out there and dream about what could happen. “
He eventually lost in the round of 16 with Jiri Leheckawhile in Rome he was singled out by Hubert Hurkacz in the second round in straight sets. Meanwhile, everyone said goodbye to him: At the Madrid Open, they unfurled a banner reading “Gracias Rafa”, recognizing his five wins there.
But amid all the nostalgia overload and unpredictable form is a resolute Nadal, focused on adding his 23rd Grand Slam title. A source close to Nadal told ESPN that during his preparations for the French Open, he practiced every three hours without pain and was building his confidence. He entered the tournament unseeded, ranked 272 in the world, but no player in the men’s tournament wanted to draw him. Alcaraz was asked if he secretly wanted to draw his hero Nadal in the first round. “No, honestly,” he replied, smiling.
The players were fully aware of the aura around him at Roland Garros. “You’re not playing a statue, you’re playing a real person. But you’re playing Rafa Nadal,” Zverev said before their first-round match. “For me, in my mind, I’m going to play Rafa Nadal at his best. That’s what I expect him to achieve. I expect him to be at his best. I expect him to be at his best. playing the best tennis he’s played in a long time.” on this field.”
Competing with Nadal at Roland Garros is a task that requires spirit as well as skill. “He has the ability to spin the ball unlike other players,” Daniel Medvedev speak. “Getting these high balls, especially on clay, is not easy. Then we get to where he fights for every point, he brings intensity to every point . You know you’re going to be tired, you know it’s going to be difficult. It’s not going to be easy, Rafa will always be Rafa.”
Stefanos Tsitsipas, speaking in Monte Carlo in mid-April, summed up the feeling of playing against Nadal. “I think he is the ultimate test on clay.”
That’s what it comes back to, the expectation that no matter what condition he’s in or his previous form, at Roland Garros he’ll find a way to make it happen. He entered the 2022 tournament with a 4-2 record on clay that year and won the final despite a leg injury.
The players don’t forget moments like that. “Even though he didn’t play much, he was still himself at Roland Garros,” Djokovic said.
NADAL WILL BE FOREVER Become a legend at the French Open. It’s just a matter of whether we’ll see him again in this tournament. His old sparring partner certainly hopes so.
“If he says ‘ciao,’ he does it on the field, not on his couch, and I like that because he’s far from 100 percent,” Roger Federer said on the French television program “Telematin” earlier this week. “I don’t know anything, but I want it to end as he decided, with his family and his team. I want him to continue playing a little longer than what people believe. “
The same thing happened with Nadal. As he faced a still packed Court Philippe-Chatrier after his defeat to Zverev, he wasn’t ready to say goodbye. He just fought for 3 hours and 5 minutes with one of the best in form players in the world right now and came close to him. Those are the matches that make saying goodbye even more difficult.
“There is a large percentage I will not return here, but I cannot say 100%,” Nadal told the crowd. “The body also feels a little better. Maybe two more months will be enough, I can’t offer anything else, but that’s something I haven’t felt yet. I hope to return to this field for the Olympics Association, that is the driving force.” .”
In the audience were his wife, Maria, and son Rafael, watching. Nadal is still focused on his next target, looking to wring the last bit of magic from his tired frame. But no matter how things end, whether he calls time after the Olympics or makes the final at his beloved French Open next year, Nadal looks back with no regrets.
“I enjoy everything,” he said. “Thanks to tennis, I have gone through experiences that I could never have imagined without practicing, playing this beautiful sport and I have achieved more success than I could have ever dreamed of .
“So I’ve been traumatized, yes. I’ve had difficult, low moments, yes. But on the other hand, I’ve enjoyed these amazingly positive and emotional moments that I’m very aware of.” Thank you and I feel very lucky for all of that.”
