Nadal T-shirt resales 'a shame', says French tennis boss
French tennis federation president Gilles Moretton says it "is a shame" that some fans were selling the T-shirts handed out for Rafael Nadal's tribute at Roland Garros online.
Organisers gave all 15,000 people at Court Philippe Chatrier for a ceremony celebrating Nadal's career on Sunday free T-shirts printed with the words 'merci, Rafa'.
The different colours spelt out the message '14 RG, Rafa', referencing Nadal's record 14 French Open titles.
The simple orange or white T-shirts, also including the date "25/05/2025", were listed for sale on websites including Vinted and Leboncoin for prices ranging from 150 euros ($170) to 500 euros ($569).
"What do you want me to say, that we shouldn't have made them?," Moretton told a press conference on Monday.
"Some people are trying to make money out of it, with the 'Merci Rafa', the 'Thank You Rafa'.
"It's a bit of a shame, but we did not think of getting the T-shirts back at the end of the ceremony, that wouldn't have been right.
"I really appreciated the fact that about 98 percent of people wore the T-shirts to pay tribute to Rafa.
"It is because of the uniqueness of Roland Garros, something that hasn't been seen anywhere else, and this is precisely what has led people to want to buy these shirts at staggering prices."
Nadal fought back tears during the emotional ceremony and was joined on court by old rivals Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.
pm/jc/nf
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
French Open: No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka faces No. 2 Coco Gauff in the women's final
PARIS (AP) — No.1 Aryna Sabalenka faces No. 2 Coco Gauff in the French Open final on Saturday with both women aiming to win the title for the first time. Gauff lost the 2022 French Open final at age 18 but the American beat Sabalenka in the 2023 U.S. Open final, Gauff's only major so far. The 27-year-old Sabalenka, who is from Belarus, has won three majors but is appearing in her first French Open final. It is the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 final in Paris since 2013, when Serena Williams defeated Maria Sharapova, and just the second in the last 30 years. Sabalenka and Gauff have split their 10 previous matchups evenly, but Sabalenka won their most recent encounter, also on a clay court at the Madrid Open a month ago. ___
Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
French Open: No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka faces No. 2 Coco Gauff in the women's final
PARIS (AP) — No.1 Aryna Sabalenka faces No. 2 Coco Gauff in the French Open final on Saturday with both women aiming to win the title for the first time. Gauff lost the 2022 French Open final at age 18 but the American beat Sabalenka in the 2023 U.S. Open final, Gauff's only major so far. The 27-year-old Sabalenka, who is from Belarus, has won three majors but is appearing in her first French Open final. It is the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 final in Paris since 2013, when Serena Williams defeated Maria Sharapova, and just the second in the last 30 years. Sabalenka and Gauff have split their 10 previous matchups evenly, but Sabalenka won their most recent encounter, also on a clay court at the Madrid Open a month ago. ___ AP tennis:
Washington Post
an hour ago
- Washington Post
French Open: No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka faces No. 2 Coco Gauff in the women's final
PARIS — No.1 Aryna Sabalenka faces No. 2 Coco Gauff in the French Open final on Saturday with both women aiming to win the title for the first time. Gauff lost the 2022 French Open final at age 18 but the American beat Sabalenka in the 2023 U.S. Open final, Gauff's only major so far.
