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SportsPosted at: May 26 2025 12:29AM


Nadal immortalised as Roland Garros unveils iconic No 14 plaque

Paris, May 25 (UNI) Roland Garros etched Rafael Nadal into the clay forever on Saturday, unveiling a special plaque bearing his name, footprint, and the number 14 — a tribute to his unmatched dominance at the French Open, where he has won an astonishing 112 out of 116 matches.
No other player in history has ever been more closely associated with a Grand Slam event.
The plaque, revealed in an emotional on-court ceremony at Court Philippe-Chatrier, marked the culmination of a tribute to Nadal’s unparalleled career in Paris — and possibly the final on-court reunion of tennis' "Big Four."
As the crowd of 15,000 rose in ovation, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray emerged from the wings to join Nadal, bringing together the four greats who defined an era of tennis. The ceremony featured a video montage of their legendary rivalries, before the three champions shared the stage with Nadal for his moment of farewell.
Visibly moved, Nadal addressed his longtime rivals with heartfelt emotion: "We all achieved our dreams. We had amazing rivalries — but in a good way. We fought as hard as possible and respected each other. You gave me a hard time on court, but I always enjoyed pushing myself to the limit to compete with you."
He continued, "At the end of the day, tennis is just a game. What that means for me is that all of you are here — it is a great message to the world. We can be good friends even if we had the best rivalries on the court."
Tournament Director Amélie Mauresmo and FFT President Gilles Moretton presented Nadal with a commemorative trophy, as the audience looked on in admiration. A powerful visual tribute followed — a human "Merci" formed by dancers, ballkids and French Open staff, including physios, drivers, and locker room attendants, all of whom had supported Nadal over the years.
Nadal choked back tears during his speech, especially while thanking his uncle and former coach Toni Nadal. At one point, he broke into laughter after losing a page of his prepared remarks: "I have to admit I lost one of the pages of my speech, but it'll be okay!"
The stands were awash in orange, with fans donning commemorative "Merci Rafa" shirts. Among the many notable attendees were Iga Świątek, Carlos Alcaraz, and Juan Carlos Ferrero.
As Nadal stood by the newly unveiled plaque — his footprint now part of the clay he conquered for two decades — the message was clear: Paris is Rafa's forever.
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