Rafael Nadal was honoured yesterday afternoon by Roland Garros, conducting one final farewell ceremony on Philippe Chatrier.
Having seen his time at this event cut short in the very first round in 2024, it was fitting that the 38-year-old was allowed one final hurrah at the Olympics later that year.
He got to strut his stuff on his favourite surface, and the tennis world watched along with interest.
However, it did feel like the French Open crowd never truly got to say goodbye to Rafael Nadal and honour him in the way many felt he deserved. Yesterday will have more than made up for it though.
Rafael Nadal tells funny Andy Murray story
Speaking at an official Roland Garros press conference for what could well be the last time ever, he reflected on a sparkling career and an emotional afternoon on Philippe Chatrier.
After all, it had been a whirlwind hour, with speeches, videos, trophies and tributes to last a lifetime.
However, one of the best moments undoubtedly came when messages from Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray flashed up on the screen before the trio walked out onto the court to join their fellow Big Four member.
Asked about what he said to them, Nadal honed in on Murray, revealing: ‘Well, asking about life, families.
‘You know, my good friend Andy that we were not in touch for a while, the day that Arsenal beat Real Madrid, when the match just finished, after one second, he text me a message, telling me… I gonna read, because it’s quite good (laughter). I feel that it’s quite interesting.
‘Hey, Rafa, haven’t spoken to you in a while. Just checking in to make sure you are okay. It honestly took me like 5 seconds to realize what I was reading.
‘At the beginning, I was saying, ok, he’s such a nice guy. He’s asking me about how I’m doing, family. Then after 5 seconds, I said, ‘This always British sense of humor.’ By the way, I didn’t text him back when PSG beat Arsenal.’
Speaking before the event, Nadal revealed his best Roland Garros title, in what really was a trip down memory lane for the 22-time Grand Slam champion.
Rafael Nadal’s fitting tribute at Roland Garros
Even though there were some highly-anticipated matches between top players at the French Open yesterday, it felt like everything was building towards this ceremony.
After all, it finally saw the greatest champion in the history of the tournament returning to the site of so many victories, celebrated by all inside.
The crowd was a sea of orange as they donned ‘Merci Rafa’ t-shirts, with stars like Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Swiatek and Simona Halep all in attendance.
They participated in the raucous support which brought the great Spaniard to tears on more than one occasion.
Seeing the Big Four reunited was a highlight, but watching Nadal deliver speeches in three different languages, all equally as emotional, will be what many others remember.
Nobody deserves a send-off quite like him, having left a record that will never be broken, and a legacy that will never be tarnished.
