As the French Open begins a new chapter without Rafael Nadal, players are feeling two main things.
First, many are sad that fans won’t see the “King of Clay” in action. Nadal earned that nickname thanks to his powerful, topspin-filled style on the clay courts of Roland-Garros, where he won 14 of his 22 Grand Slam titles.
Second, some players are quietly relieved. With the 38-year-old Spaniard now retired, they feel the tournament may be more open for others to make their mark.
Players don’t need to worry about Nadal anymore at the French Open.
“Luckily — or unluckily — I never got to play him in Roland-Garros,” said American Tommy Paul, who made the Australian Open semifinals in 2023 and is ranked 12th.
“It’s nice to not have to worry about him, I guess,” Paul added with a laugh. “That’s the main thing that comes to my mind.”
Many players described the change as “different.”
“It’ll be strange for the fans, above all,” said Lorenzo Musetti, a top-10 Italian player who made the Wimbledon semifinals and won an Olympic bronze in 2024. “But the history he made in Paris will never be forgotten.”
Nadal’s 14 wins at the French Open is a record for any Grand Slam.
His performance in Paris was unmatched.
“Impossible,” said defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, “to repeat.”
Nadal’s first French Open win came in 2005, just after his 19th birthday. His last was in 2022, when he played through foot pain with the help of nerve-numbing injections. He had a record of 112 wins and only 4 losses at Roland-Garros.
One way to understand how strong Nadal was on this court is to look at his record against his main rivals. He beat Novak Djokovic 8 times at the French Open and Roger Federer 6 times — never losing to Federer there. Those 8 wins make up about 15% of all of Djokovic’s Grand Slam losses.
“What a legend. What an ambassador for the sport,” said Australian Thanasi Kokkinakis. “One of the greatest athletes ever — not just in tennis.”
Rafael Nadal waves as he leaves the courtNadal will be honored at the French Open on Sunday.
His legacy in Paris is clear. A statue of him was placed near one of the entrances in 2021, and a special ceremony will take place Sunday on Court Philippe-Chatrier after the first three matches of the day.
It’s expected that Nadal will be greeted with loud cheers and the familiar chants of “Ra-fa!” — just as he was during his last match at the venue during the Paris Olympics, where he spoke of the “unforgettable feeling and emotions” he experienced.
Fans and fellow players will always remember his strong forehand, how far behind the baseline he stood to return serves, and how he chased every ball. They’ll remember the arena announcer listing all his championship years and his trademark of biting the trophy after each win — something Naomi Osaka did after her first clay title recently.
“As a tennis community, everybody’s going to miss Rafa, for sure,” said former world No. 1 and two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka. “If I were thinking about it selfishly, I would say, ‘Of course I want to watch Rafa play. Of course I want him to be here.’
“But I see it a little bit differently. I look at it as that was his decision. Same with when Serena (Williams) left. Of course I miss Serena; she was my biggest motivator. But they’ve moved on in their life to what’s best for them. And I just have so much respect for what they’ve done for the sport. How much they contributed. How much they elevated it. My only thing is to say, ‘Thank you,’ to players like that.”
