Rafael Nadal's selection as a torchbearer during the 2024 Paris Olympics was mildly surprising, but a new report reveals that the Paris Mayor endorsed him for the role.
The Olympic opening ceremony took place on Friday, July 26th, to mark the start of the Paris Games. The international multi-sport event will run until the second week of August.
One of the most important traditions during this occasion is the Olympic Torch Relay. This basically involves lighting the torch from Olympia, Greece—where the ancient Olympic Games were held—and transporting it to the current host city (Paris) of the Games.
On its arrival in France, the Relay involved 24 athletes, and the biggest surprise was the presence of non-French athletes. One of them was 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal.
The Spanird's portion of the relay was in sailing the River Seine in a boat after receiving the torch from French football icon Zinedine Zidane. He was accompanied by retired WTA legend Serena Williams, Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci and four-time Olympic champion at the 1984 Games Carl Lewis.
Upon receiving the torch from Zidane at the Trocadero, which is located on the opposite side of the River Seine from the Eiffel Tower and offers a spectacular view of the famous Parisian monument.
He shared a photo of himself under the lights with a love emoji on his X account (formerly Twitter) and has garnered close to 4 million impressions on the platform.
According to sports journalist Angel Garcia, Nadal was specifically recommended for this honor by Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo based on his outstanding sporting achievements in the French capital.
Nadal is one of the most loved and revered tennis players in Paris, and Hidalgo referred to him as "the most Parisian of the international athletes" who merited being a torchbearer.
"You're the image of Paris, history of Paris, one of the most important figures in Paris' history, and as the most Parisian of the international athletes, we want you to have a very relevant role in the ceremony."
It's fitting that Nadal was bestowed with this privilege, and there can be no denying that what he has achieved at Roland Garros, the premier clay-court tennis tournament in the world, is unprecedented and that tennis onlookers believe will never be replicated.
Nadal has won the most Grand Slams in a singles tournament at the French Open, potentially lifting his last title there in 2022. He will be competing in his third Olympics, and the tennis tournament is held at Stade Roland Garros, boosting his chances of adding to his medal collection.
The 38-year-old won a gold medal in singles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and a gold medal in men's doubles with countryman Marc Lopez at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
He is bidding to win two more medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, playing in both singles and doubles. Nadal joined forces with World No.3 Carlos Alcaraz to begin their men's doubles campaign to a flyer on Saturday evening. He is scheduled to play Marton Fucsovics of Hungary in singles on Sunday.