Nadal’s imprint and tears, the Big Four reunited: Memorable images from an emotional tribute
The tribute received by Rafael Nadal on Court Philippe-Chatrier this Sunday at Roland-Garros gave rise to some very beautiful moments.
Rafael Nadal, Roland-Garros 2025 | © Julien Nouet / Tennis Majors
Tears flowed on Court Philippe-Chatrier during a heartfelt tribute to Rafael Nadal on Suday. The audience first welcomed the master of the venue with ochre-colored T-shirts bearing the inscription “Merci Rafa – 25/05/2025,” accompanied by the iconic voice of Marc Maury, highlighting the 14 years when Nadal won Roland-Garros.
The Majorcan then received a prolonged standing ovation, followed by a video projected on the large screens of Court Philippe-Chatrier, retracing his exploits on the Parisian clay. Subsequently, Rafael Nadal spoke in French, English, and Spanish to talk about Roland-Garros and to thank the French people, his friends, and his family
“In 2005, I played here for the first time, and my first great experience was the match against my childhood friend and rival, Richard Gasquet. Since that moment, I fully understood what Roland-Garros meant,” declared the Spaniard.
Nadal’s tears
The champion’s tears began to flow when he thanked his two grandmothers and then his coach and uncle, Toni, without whom nothing would have been possible. The latter had been “Rafa’s” coach from the beginning until the end of the 2017 season.
“Toni, you are the reason I am here. Thank you for dedicating a large part of your life to me. You trained me, made me suffer, made me laugh… What we experienced wasn’t always easy, but it was worth it.”
“We have difficulty expressing our feelings, but I want you to know all my gratitude for your endless sacrifices. You have been vital to me, the best coach I could have had.
Rafa, Roger, Nole, Andy, once again
After a good dose of emotion, Rafael Nadal had the joy of seeing his three greatest rivals, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray, arrive on the court—against whom he had fought immense battles that shaped his career. The four men shared a heartfelt embrace in the middle of Court Philippe-Chatrier before the Spaniard addressed a few words to them.
After all these years fighting for everything, it’s incredible how time changes the perspective of everything. You don’t know it yet, Novak. You probably already know it, Andy. With Roger, we’ve talked about it several times. All the nerves, the pressure, the strange feelings we feel when we see each other, when we’re rivals… it’s completely different when we end our careers. In the end, now, it’s about being happy with everything we’ve accomplished.”
“In the end, we all achieved our dreams. We became tennis players. We played the most important stages of our careers. I think we built extraordinary rivalries, but at the same time in the right way. We showed the world that we could fight as hard as possible while being good colleagues and respecting each other. And for me, it means a lot that you are all here.”
A fooTPRint forever
“You gave me a hard time on the court, honestly, but I really enjoyed pushing my limits every day to compete with all of you. In the end, tennis is just a game. Sometimes we feel a bit stronger. But we understand that in the end, it’s just a game. What it means to me is that you are all here, that’s all. It’s a great message to the world that we can be good friends even if we’ve had the best rivalries. Thank you very much for everything you’ve done over all these years.”
In addition to a trophy presented by Roland-Garros director Amélie Mauresmo and FFT president Gilles Moretton, Rafael Nadal had the immense honor of seeing his footprint forever engraved on the side of Court Philippe-Chatrier, along with the number of titles won at Porte d’Auteuil.
To conclude this ceremony beautifully, the man with 22 Grand Slam titles took a lap of honor, thanking the French public with tears in his eyes. Then he left Court Philippe-Chatrier one last time, with his son in his arms, who also waved to the crowd—perhaps a promise for the future. Thank you, Roland-Garros, thank you, Rafa.
