Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray paid tribute to their long-time rival Rafael Nadal during a farewell ceremony at Roland Garros. The event took place on Sunday as the Spaniard bid adieu to his illustrious career at the French Open.
The three tennis legends appeared in a heartfelt video shown to the audience at Court Philippe-Chatrier. They later joined Nadal on the court, embracing him in recognition of his remarkable achievements. In their joint message, they said, “Hi Rafa, after all these years and all these fights, we couldn’t let you leave like that. We really wanted to leave you a message and let you know your old pals will always be with you.”
Nadal’s record at Roland Garros is unmatched. He maintained an unbeaten 6-0 record against Federer at this venue, claiming victory in three consecutive finals from 2006 to 2008. His head-to-head tally against Djokovic stands at 8-2 in Paris, while he defeated Murray in both encounters there.
Addressing Federer, Djokovic, and Murray on the court, Nadal spoke about their shared experiences and how retirement has changed his outlook. He remarked on how time alters perspectives: “After all these years fighting for everything, it is unbelievable how the time changes the perspective of everything.”
He reflected on their fierce competitions which transformed into friendships post-retirement: “Now it is all about being happy about everything that we achieved…I think we built amazing rivalries and in a good way…Good colleagues who respect each other.”
Nadal acknowledged the challenges they posed during matches but expressed gratitude for those moments: “You gave me some hard times on courts but I really enjoyed it a lot…At the end, tennis is just a game but we understand that at the end, it is only a game.”
The ceremony concluded with photo sessions where smiles and memories were shared among them. Nadal leaves behind an impressive legacy with a 112-4 win-loss record at Roland Garros and having won 14 out of his total 22 major titles there.