Roland Garros paid tribute to its greatest champion with a farewell ceremony for the retired Rafael Nadal yesterday, while Aryna Sabalenka got her French Open campaign up and running with an emphatic victory.
Nadal, the record 14-time champion on the Paris clay, retired from tennis last November after an illustrious career.
He returns to Court Philippe Chatrier a year after suffering a first-round exit at the hands of Alexander Zverev in what proved to be his final French Open.
The Spaniard finished with a remarkable 112-4 win-loss record at Roland Garros, dominating the tournament since winning the title on his debut in 2005.
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.
Former rivals Roger Federer and Andy Murray are expected to attend Nadal’s ceremony, as well as Novak Djokovic – fresh off his 100th ATP title in Geneva.
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