Rafael Nadal's Roland Garros Ceremony Turned Into Ruthless Business Minutes Later
NewsMonday, 26 May 2025 at 23:46
Rafael Nadal had a beautiful ceremony at Roland Garros, but it was also turned into ruthless business just minutes after it ended.
Nadal retired from tennis at last year's Davis Cup. When he last competed at Roland Garros, where he triumphed 14 times in his career, it was not yet known whether he would appear in Paris the following year or not. That's why the Spaniard didn't have any ceremony at the venue as a player.
One year later, already as a retired player, the 38-year-old was celebrated at the Court Philippe-Chatrier. The ceremony began with the tournament organizers playing a video made for the 14-time champion, and it continued with his speech.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion addressed his uncle Toni, wife Mery, his parents, and everyone who helped him on his incredibly successful journey. After that, there were a few surprises waiting for the Spaniard.
His three biggest rivals, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Andy Murray, joined him on the court, as the four looked back on their rivalry, with Nadal addressing them.
After that, the current French Open tournament director, Amélie Mauresmo, and the French Tennis Federation president, Gilles Moretton, arrived on the court. They had a surprise that Nadal had no clue about, ready for him, showing a commemorative plaque with Nadal's footprint that will forever stay on the Court Philippe-Chatrier.
"I didn't know anything about the ceremony. [The] only thing that I knew before going there was going to be a video when I go on, then my speech, and then a couple of surprises."
"They didn't want me to know that. Then when I saw [it], I thought it was going to be just for this year. Knowing that's going to be forever there, it's a present that I can't describe in words."
"But for me it was and it is and it's always going to be a huge honour and very, very emotional to have this spot on the most important court of my tennis career, without a doubt. It's difficult to describe the feeling, but it's something that really touched me. [It was] very, very special."
The main court at Roland Garros was packed for the ceremony, with 15,000 fans watching the ceremony. Many of those were current and former tennis players, with the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Swiatek, and Juan Carlos Ferrero seen in attendance.
Every single person inside the stadium also received a special t-shirt, which said "Merci Rafa" (thank you Rafa), and also included the day of the ceremony. There were two colors of those t-shirts, orange and white, resembling the clay court with white lines. Those t-shirts were then distributed in a way to form messages for the 14-time champion.
However, what was a beautiful celebration of Nadal's career was soon turned into business, as soon after the ceremony, fans who attended it and received the t-shirt began selling it online.
T-shirts from the ceremony were being sold for around 200€, with many even being sold for more than 500€. It's not clear how many t-shirts were really sold, but it's clear that many of the fans tried turning Nadal's ceremony into a business.
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