Nadal played the bulk of his 115 French Open matches on Court Philippe Chatrier and won each of his 14 titles on the most famous clay court in the world.
Six months after the final match of his career at the Davis Cup Finals in Spain, he returned for a special farewell.
Nadal matches on Chatrier used to be a sea of Spanish red and yellow. On Sunday, the colour scheme was Roland Garros terracotta.
Each ticketholder was handed a T-shirt on their way into the 15,000-seater stadium, creating a palette which matched the colour of the surface which Nadal dominated for so long.
Even before Nadal appeared for the 50-minute ceremony, the chant of “Rafa! Rafa! Rafa!” rang out as his adoring audience waited for his arrival.
The majority rose to their feet when a suited-and-booted Nadal walked out, including Carlos Alcaraz – long seen as the heir to Nadal’s crown – and reigning women’s champion Iga Swiatek.
A lengthy round of applause lasting more than a minute followed. It left Nadal overcome with emotion, biting his lip and wiping his mouth as he absorbed the acclaim.
After watching a showreel of the iconic memories he made at Roland Garros, Nadal paid tribute to his family – who were sat in the front row of the presidential suite – the tournament and the French fans.
Towards the end of a speech conducted in Spanish, French and English, Nadal could not hold back the tears any more.
He sniffled through a message of thanks to one specific family member – his uncle Toni, the man who taught him tennis from the age of three and coached him to 16 of his 22 major titles.
Following the cameo of Federer, Djokovic and Murray, there was still time for one more surprise. Mauresmo and French Tennis Federation president Gilles Moretton unveiled a silver plaque, featuring Nadal’s footprint, next to the Chatrier net post.
“It was perfect. I could not have expected a more emotional day. It was unforgettable with plenty of emotions,” Nadal said.
“For a guy like me, who does not like these sort of things, I am still a bit shy and don’t like to be the centre of attention. But I enjoyed it a lot.”
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