French Open: 'Merci Rafa' T-shirts resurface online at sky-high prices
French Open organisers handed out 10,000 brick-red T-shirts for Sunday's tribute to 14-times Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal on Monday and while most people took the souvenir home, several tried to sell them online for up to 500 euros.
The "Merci Rafa" T-shirts turned the stands into a living canvas, while high in the upper tiers, fans in white shirts formed a mosaic: "RAFA" flanked by hearts and the characters "14 RG".
T-shirts were up for sale on Monday morning with prices ranging from 150 to 500 euros, to the disappointment of the French tennis federation (FFT).
"That some people are taking the opportunity to make money off the 'Merci Rafa' T-shirt, I find that a bit deplorable, but we weren't going to take the T-shirt back in the end," FFT president Gilles Moretton told reporters.
"We did something unique, and with uniqueness sometimes comes this kind of drift. I saw some prices that scared me."
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 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.
"I didn't know anything about the ceremony," Nadal said.
"Only thing that I knew before going there was going to be video when I go on, then gonna be my speech, and then gonna be a couple of surprises.
"Then when I see that, I thought it was going to be just for this year. Knowing that's going to be forever there, it's a present that I can't describe in words."
The 22-time Grand Slam champion received a send-off after his final match at the Davis Cup, but French tennis federation chief Gilles Moretton said earlier this year that "the tribute was not, in my opinion, what it should have been".
He said he had gone to visit Nadal at his home in December along with Roland Garros tournament director Amelie Mauresmo to discuss plans for Sunday's ceremony.
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Khaleej Times
9 hours ago
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French Open: Defending champion Alcaraz cruises into last four
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