www射-国产免费一级-欧美福利-亚洲成人福利-成人一区在线观看-亚州成人

Global EditionASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
Sports
Home / Sports / Tennis

RG pays 'unforgettable' tribute to retired 'King of Clay' Nadal

Updated: 2025-05-27 10:10
Share
Share - WeChat
Recently retired Spanish great Rafael Nadal stands alone on Court Philippe Chatrier at Roland Garros on Sunday, as fans show their appreciation of his record at the French Open in a special ceremony. AFP

PARIS — Rafael Nadal was given a rousing reception as the 'King of Clay' stepped onto Court Philippe Chatrier for the final time on Sunday in an "unforgettable" ceremony to celebrate his career at the French Open.

The 38-year-old, who retired from tennis last November, was serenaded by the Roland Garros crowd, with spectators wearing different colored T-shirts to create the message "14 RG, Rafa".

Nadal dominated the French Open after winning on his debut as a teenager in 2005, lifting the trophy a record-breaking 14 times.

The Spaniard finished with a remarkable 112-4 win-loss record at the clay-court Grand Slam.

He last won the title in 2022 and played his final match on the Paris clay last year, when he was defeated by Alexander Zverev in the first round.

"I don't know how to start. I've been playing on this court for 20 years. I suffered, I won, I lost. I have lived many emotions here on this court," an emotional Nadal told the crowd after watching a video of his career highlights at Roland Garros.

Nadal's family and friends watched from the player's box, along with many of his former coaching staff, including his uncle Toni.

"It has been unforgettable, plenty of emotions for a guy like me that doesn't love these kinds of things, because I'm still a little bit shy for all this stuff," Nadal told reporters.

"I don't much like being the center of attention for these things. It was enough when I was playing tennis. But, I enjoyed it, honestly. I suffered a little bit with the emotions, but I enjoyed a lot."

Old rivals pay homage

Nadal's long-time rivals Novak Djokovic, fresh from winning his 100th ATP title on Saturday, Roger Federer and Andy Murray all joined him on court.

The trio walked out after Nadal's speech to greet their fellow former world No 1, to a deafening roar from the fans.

"To have my three biggest rivals there on the court with me meant a lot," Nadal said of the other members of the 'Big Four'.

"At the same time, it's a great message for the world, I think, that best rivals, the toughest rivals probably in the history of our sport, are able to be good colleagues, to respect each other.

"You don't need to hate the opponent to try to beat him with all your force. And that's the message that I think we showed people, we showed the new generations, and, in some way, that's our legacy."

Nadal hung up his racket 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.

Nadal was presented with a special trophy commemorating his French Open record, with a mark of his footprint carved into the clay.

"I didn't know anything about the ceremony," Nadal said.

"Only thing that I knew before going there was that there was going to be a video when I go on, then my speech and then a couple of surprises.

"Then, when I saw that, I thought it was going to be just for this year. Knowing that's going to be there forever, it's a present that I can't describe in words."

The 22-time Grand Slam champion received a send-off after his final match at the Davis Cup, but French tennis federation chief Gilles Moretton said earlier this year that "the tribute was not, in my opinion, what it should have been".

He said he had gone to visit Nadal at his home in December, along with Roland Garros tournament director Amelie Mauresmo, to discuss plans for Sunday's ceremony.

AFP

Most Popular

Highlights

What's Hot
Top
BACK TO THE TOP
English
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US
主站蜘蛛池模板: 美女视频免费看视频网站 | 国产小视频在线高清播放 | 成年男女免费视频网站 | 麻豆国产| 97精品国产综合久久久久久欧美 | 国产一区曰韩二区欧美三区 | 91亚洲精品国产第一区 | 欧美日本俄罗斯一级毛片 | 久久综合一区二区三区 | 亚洲欧洲国产精品 | 成人a免费α片在线视频网站 | 韩国日本一级毛片免费视频 | 亚洲欧美高清在线 | 精品国产综合区久久久久久 | 韩国毛片 | 加勒比毛片 | 91亚洲人成手机在线观看 | 男女晚上爱爱的视频在线观看 | 色综合久久加勒比高清88 | 在线观看免费黄色网址 | 久夜色精品国产一区二区三区 | 久草在线首页 | 日韩欧美一区二区三区久久 | 欧美3p精品三区 | 欧美激情视频在线观看一区二区三区 | 日韩在线一区二区三区免费视频 | 波多野结衣视频免费观看 | 久久这里只有精品免费播放 | 成人免费视频在 | 亚洲欧美第一 | 久久久久一区二区三区 | 日韩欧美不卡一区二区三区 | 亚洲永久免费 | 欧美国产精品亚洲精品第一区 | 免费a黄色 | 亚洲国产精品自产拍在线播放 | 免费a级毛片网站 | 99精品视频在线播放2 | 欧美亚洲国产人成aaa | 国产成人精品久久二区二区 | 美女被免费网站在线视频软件 |