Rafael Nadal will wear a special edition shoe for the 2024 Roland Garros, and the Spaniard unveiled it during his first practice session.
With this potentially being his last season on tour and his last Roland Garros, Nadal's shoe sponsor, Nike, has chosen to turn back time to revisit the days when his glorious chapter began.
In 2005, Nadal tiptoed onto the terre batue in Paris for the first time wearing the Nike Max Breathe Free II. Little did he know he would make the place his hallowed kingdom for the next two decades.
He would earn his first Grand Slam win over Roger Federer in the semifinal before defeating Mariano Puerta in the final. Nadal followed it up with 13 more triumphs, cementing his legacy as the greatest clay-court player in history.
To this day, tennis onlookers agree that Nadal's prowess on the surface at his pomp is the highest peak in tennis. But 19 years since he lifted his first title, Nadal will not be the favorite for the 2024 edition.
In fact, he is not even touted as a contender. He hasn't played at Roland Garros in two years. This week, he made an emotional return on the Court Philippe Chatrier, where thousands gave him a warm reception and watched him glide on his favorite court.
During the session, he also unveiled his customized tennis shoe, the Nike Zoom Vapor Cage 4, which was designed to honor his 2005 Roland Garros win.
The shoe is black in color and is fully white on the heel and counter. The heel seat is black. Nike's logo is accentuated in white, and the shoe's laces are also white. It is a simple, crafted shoe but iconic and evocative.
Nadal has played eight matches on the European clay swing in the leadup to this year's Roland Garros. His last tournament was the Italian Open, where he lost to Hubert Hurkacz in the second round.