Tennis world pays tribute to retired 'King of Clay' Rafael Nadal
27 May 2025 18:56
PARIS (AFP)Tennis great and 'King of Clay' Rafael Nadal was given a rousing reception as the stepped onto Court Philippe Chatrier for the final time on Sunday in an "unforgettable" ceremony to celebrate his career at the French Open.The 38-year-old, who retired from tennis last November, was serenaded by the Roland Garros crowd, with spectators wearing different coloured t-shirts to create the message "14 RG, Rafa". The message referred to Nadal's wins at the French Open courts of Roland Garros.Nadal dominated the French Open after winning on debut as a teenager in 2005, lifting the trophy a record-breaking 14 times.The Spaniard finished with a remarkable 112-4 win-loss record at the clay-court Grand Slam.He last won the title in 2022 and played his final match on the Paris clay last year when he was defeated by Alexander Zverev in the first round."I don't know how to start... I've been playing on this court for 20 years. I suffered, I won, I lost. I have lived many emotions here on this court," an emotional Nadal told the crowd after watching a video of his career highlights at Roland Garros.Nadal's family and friends watched from the player's box, along with many of his former coaching staff, including his uncle Toni."It has been unforgettable, plenty of emotions for a guy like me that doesn't love these kind of things because I'm still a little bit shy for all this stuff," Nadal told reporters."I don't like a lot to be the centre of attention for these things. It was enough when I was playing tennis. But I enjoyed it, honestly. I suffered a little bit with the emotions, but I enjoyed a lot."Nadal's long-time rivals Novak Djokovic, fresh from winning his 100th ATP title on Saturday, Roger Federer and Andy Murray all joined him on the main Chatrier court.The trio walked out after Nadal's speech to greet their fellow former world number one, to a deafening roar from the fans."To have my three biggest rivals there on the court with me meant a lot," Nadal said of the other members of the 'Big Four'."At the same time, it's a great message for the world, I think, that best rivals, the toughest rivals probably in the history of our sport are able to be good colleagues, to respect each other."You don't need to hate the opponent to try to beat him with all your force. And that's the message that I think we showed people, we showed the new generations, and in some way that's our legacy."Nadal hung up his racquet following the 2024 Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, initially denying him an opportunity to wave goodbye to his adoring fans in Paris.His tally of 14 victories at a single Grand Slam appears unlikely to be beaten, with Margaret Court's 11 Australian Open titles second on the all-time list.Nadal was presented with a special trophy commemorating his French Open record, with a mark of his footprint carved into the clay.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Dubai Eye
11 hours ago
- Dubai Eye
Alcaraz returns to French Open final after ailing Musetti retires
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz reached back-to-back French Open finals after Italian eighth seed Lorenzo Musetti retired with injury while trailing 4-6 7-6(3) 6-0 2-0 on Friday. Alcaraz, who is attempting to become only the third man to retain his Roland Garros title this century after Rafa Nadal and Gustavo Kuerten, will face either world number one Jannik Sinner or 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in Sunday's final. "It's never great to go through like this," Alcaraz said, before hailing Musetti's achievement of reaching at least the semi-finals of all four elite claycourt events this year. "He's a great player, he has had an incredible claycourt season...I wish him a speedy recovery and I'm sure we'll be enjoying his tennis pretty soon." Musetti twice denied Alcaraz the chance to break in the opening nine games before the 23-year-old suddenly dialled up the intensity and snatched the opening set when his Spanish opponent produced errors in a poor service game. A frustrated Alcaraz kicked his bench during the second set but finally found a way through Musetti's dogged defence to draw level after a tiebreak and then produced a dazzling display of power and precision to dish out a bagel in the third set. Musetti, who appeared to be hampered by a left thigh issue midway through the third set, threw in the towel after two games in the fourth. "The first two sets were tough. I had chances to be up in the match but couldn't make the most of them," Alcaraz added. "When I won the second set, I was relieved and I knew that I needed to be aggressive and be myself. I was calmer. I could see clearer and I could play great tennis at the start of the third. "I'm feeling great physically. It's been three intense weeks but I have one more step to take. I'm playing great tennis and I have great confidence. I've been doing great things in this tournament and now is the time to give 100 per cent in the final." Alcaraz said he would tune into the second semi-final on Court Philippe Chatrier to study his potential opponents. "I'm not going to miss tonight's match, it's one of the best we can have right now, Sinner against Djokovic," he said. "I'm going to watch it and enjoy it and take tactics from the match."
Gulf Today
18 hours ago
- Gulf Today
Royal Challengers Bengaluru offer cash help after deadly cricket stampede
Royal Challengers Bengaluru said Thursday they stood "united" with fans as the Indian Premier League champions announced financial aid to families of those crushed to death during their title celebrations. Hundreds of thousands had packed the streets in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru on Wednesday to welcome home their hero Virat Kohli and his RCB team-mates after they beat Punjab Kings in a thrilling IPL final. But the euphoria of the vast crowds ended in disaster when 11 fans died in a stampede near the city's M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, where the players were parading the trophy. Fans wave flags as thousands gather outside the Vidhana Soudha to celebrate with Royal Challengers Bengaluru players winning the IPL. AFP Most of the dead were young fans aged between 14 and 29 who had gone out just to catch a glimpse of their heroes. Dozens of abandoned shoes and flip-flops littered the site in the aftermath. RCB offered financial aid of $11,655 to each family of those killed. Indian media have widely reported the team earned $2.3 million in prize money alone for taking the title on Wednesday. "Our fans will always remain at the heart of everything that we do," RCB said. "We remain united in grief." Fans look at a digital board screening live Virat Kohli during celebrations at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. AFP Kohli, who top-scored in the final, said he was "at a loss for words" after celebrations of a dream IPL crown turned to tragedy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the accident "absolutely heartrending." 'Stamped on me' Police used mild force to disperse people outside the stadium, an eyewitness told AFP, but the crowd was "extremely difficult" to control. Lakshminarayan, who lost his 14-year-old granddaughter in the crush, said his family carried the child in a motor rickshaw to hospital. He said celebrations should have been delayed to prepare for the widely expected mass crowds. Chief Minister of Karnataka Siddaramaiah (Centre L) visits a victim of the stampede. AFP "There was no need to conduct celebrations the very next day, they should have postponed it to a week and organised it a better way," he said. "You should take all precautionary measures, they should have police protection and follow the queue system." One of the people injured described to AFP how a "huge crowd" had crushed her. "They stamped on me," said the woman, who did not give her name, from a wheelchair. "I was not able to breathe. I fell unconscious." 'Died in an RCB shirt' Street food vendor Manoj Kumar mourned the death of his 18-year-old son. "I wanted him to go to college," Kumar told the Indian Express newspaper. "I brought him up with a lot of care. Now he is gone." Security personnel constrain fans outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday. AFP A grieving mother outside a city mortuary said her 22-year-old engineering student son had also died. "He was crazy about RCB," she was quoted as saying by the Indian Express. "He died in an RCB shirt. They danced when RCB won and now he is gone. Can RCB give him back to us?" Authorities had already called off RCB's proposed open-top bus victory parade through the streets after anticipating vast crowds. But organisers pressed ahead with the welcome ceremony and celebrations inside the stadium. RCB's social media account posted a video of cheering crowds lining the streets as the players waved back from their team bus on their way to the stadium. The team said they cut short the celebrations "immediately upon being made aware of the situation." Karnataka state chief minister Siddaramaiah said that the stadium had a capacity of "only 35,000 people, but 200,000-300,000 people came." Agence France-Presse
Dubai Eye
19 hours ago
- Dubai Eye
Laser-focused Gauff ends Boisson's dream run to reach French Open final
Coco Gauff ended local heroine Lois Boisson's dream run at the French Open as the American kept her cool in a fiery atmosphere to earn a ruthless 6-1 6-2 victory on Thursday, setting up a blockbuster final with top seed Aryna Sabalenka. Laser-focused, the world number two subdued the French wild card and the home crowd to speed through the contest on Court Philippe Chatrier and reach the Roland Garros final for the second time after she lost to Iga Swiatek in 2022. Boisson, ranked 361st with only two career matches on the main tour coming into the claycourt major, had downed world number three Jessica Pegula and Russian prodigy Mirra Andreeva in the previous rounds but she looked deflated against Gauff. The 22-year-old will, however, pocket a career-changing 690,000 euros ($789,567) in prize money, while Gauff, 21, will have the chance to secure her second Grand Slam title after winning the 2023 US Open. Playing a local favourite at Roland Garros in front of a notoriously fierce crowd can be a challenge even for the most seasoned players, but Gauff was ready. "This is my first time playing a French player here. I was mentally prepared that it was to be 99% for her so I was trying to block it out," said Gauff. Addressing the crowd, she added: "When you were saying her name, I was saying my name to myself just to psyche myself." EXTRA SHOT Gauff, who can become the first American since Serena Williams in 2015 to lift the Suzanne Lenglen Cup, clearly shifted up a gear after beating compatriot Madison Keys in an error-strewn quarter-final on Wednesday. Her forehand was solid again, her backhand mesmerising at times and she served consistently throughout. Boisson, on the other hand, made an unusual number of unforced errors as her opponent repeatedly forced her to go for the extra shot. Gauff raced to a 4-0 lead under the Court Philippe Chatrier roof and never looked back, breaking to love at 3-2 in the second set right after Boisson broke her serve for the first time. The American was on an eight-point winning streak and at the change of ends at 5-2, Boisson placed her towel over her head and hit herself in frustration. "It's always the plan to start strong," said Gauff. "I knew it was important today. She's an incredible player, she proved to be one of the best players in the world, especially on clay. I'm sure we'll have more battles in the future." DIRECT ENTRY The first Frenchwoman to reach the last four at Roland Garros since Marion Bartoli in 2011, Boisson bowed out when she sent yet another forehand long. She will climb up to 65th in the WTA rankings, which will all but guarantee her direct entry into the main draw at Grand Slams and top-tier events. Boisson has her feet firmly on the ground, though. "Of course the programme will change. It won't be what was planned at the beginning, considering my upcoming ranking," she told a press conference. "But, for the time being, I'm not going to make any particular changes because I think that if I'm here today it's because it works well and I don't see why I would change much. "Today it was quite simply too tough for me. I couldn't manage to get my game going, but apart from today's match, which wasn't all positive, the tournament as a whole was very positive."
