“Thank you for everything you have done for sport”, the tribute from Mauresmo, director of Roland-Garros, to Nadal

The tributes continue to rain in to pay tribute to the newly retired Rafael Nadal. “Rafa, your legacy will remain as one of the greatest in the history of Tennis”Australian legend Rod Laver wrote on X. “Thank you for setting a standard of excellence that will inspire generations to come.”hailed him the only player in history to have won the Grand Slam twice (1962 and 1969).

Roland-Garros, the favorite tournament of the king of clay (14 crowns Porte d'Auteuil) paid tribute there. Its director Amélie Mauresmo, facing the camera in English, thanked the champion of ocher who had passed the Olympic flame to her during the opening ceremony of the Paris Games. “Rafa, I don’t have the words to tell you how much we need to thank you for everything you have done for sport. Not just for tennis but for sport in general. For the man you are, for the values ​​you bring to the courts. Of course, there are the fourteen victories at Roland Garros and the twenty-two Grand Slam victories. It's impressive, it's incredible. But the fact that you are the man you are, who has always known how to remain simple, with his values ​​anchored in you, for me, that is what I appreciate most about you. I know you have lots of projects around you with your family or your academy. I will follow your projects and above all I can't wait to welcome you at Roland-Garros. » In 2025, the tournament will pay an XXL tribute to the now former master of the place.