FRANCE: This year’s French Open will honour Rafa Nadal, the record 14-time champion, on the opening day of the tournament next month.
This tribute comes a year after the Spanish tennis legend played his final match at Roland Garros before his retirement. Nadal suffered an early exit in 2024 with a first-round loss to Alexander Zverev. He officially ended his career after playing for Spain in the Davis Cup last November.
Now, the organisers are paying tribute to his incredible legacy at the Grand Slam. He will return to the French Open to celebrate his incredible achievements.
The tournament director and two-time Grand Slam champion, Amelie Mauresmo, said: “Rafa made history at Roland Garros, and his 14 titles will perhaps remain unequalled…The ceremony in honour of Rafa will take place at the end of the day session on May 25 on Court Philippe Chatrier… The idea is to have a vision for the future and also to celebrate those who thrilled us in the past.”
Moreover, the tournament will also pay tribute to Mary Pierce, the 2000 women’s champion, and Richard Gasquet, another local crowd favourite.
More about the French Open
The prize money for the French Open, which runs from May 25 to June 8, has been set at 56.352 million euros (S$64.11 million), a 5.21% increase from 2024.
The increase in prize money follows demands from top players, who recently sent a letter to the four Grand Slam tournaments calling for higher payouts. The French Open stated that it is willing to have discussions on this.
Gilles Moretton, head of the French Tennis Federation, confirmed that the French Open will still use line judges. It will not adopt electronic line calling like the other Grand Slam tournaments. Wimbledon will start using electronic line calling this season, joining the US Open and the Australian Open.
Morretton admitted: “I think we are right to keep our referees and linesmen at Roland Garros. The federation wants to keep our referees for as long as we can… I hope we’ll be able to maintain it in our tournaments in the future.”
A social media post made by Roland Garros stated: “Major announcements from the 2025 Roland-Garros press conference:
🔸 A tribute to Rafael Nadal will take place on Sunday 25 May, following the day session’s three fixtures.
🔸 Centre Court will commemorate the 25th anniversary of Mary Pierce’s twin titles, between the two women’s semi-finals.
🔸 A tribute will also be paid to Richard Gasquet on the conclusion of his last game at Roland-Garros.
🔸 A free fan zone on Place de la Concorde, one of the capital’s most iconic locations, from Wednesday 4 to Monday 9 Jun.
🔸 The second men’s singles semi-final, scheduled for Friday 6 Jun on Philippe-Chatrier, will not start before 7:00 p.m. (local time)”
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Netizens commented on the post and said: “Excited for the Rafa tribute 🙌❤️”, “What a fabulous celebration for legends of the game. Love this ❤️ 🙌🔥🇦🇺”, “Yes to line judges! This is what we want. It’s not just hearing the fake automated out call. We, and players, need to see the hand gestures too. That is just as important as the verbal out call, if not more important”, and “Finally, Roland Garros decides to celebrate Mary Pierce!!! Bravo and thank you because she is the last French player to have won the singles title in Paris! A celebration fully deserved.”
