The French Open will pay tribute to 14-time champion Rafael Nadal on the opening day of the Grand Slam next month, a year after the Spaniard played his final match on the clay of Roland Garros, organizers said Thursday.
Nadal suffered his earliest French Open exit after a first-round loss to Alexander Zverev last year but did not say then if it was the last time that his adoring Parisian fans would watch him in action at the major.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion eventually called time on his glittering career after representing Spain in the Davis Cup in November and will now return to his happiest hunting ground for a grand celebration of his achievements.
“Rafa made history at Roland Garros, and his 14 titles will perhaps remain unequaled,” tournament director and two-time Grand Slam champion Amelie Mauresmo told reporters. “The ceremony in honor 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.”
Nadal already has a statue rising in the alleys of the clay-court Grand Slam. He will also feature in an exhibition in the tournament museum and lend his voice to the official French Open trailer.
“We wanted to do the tribute last year, to be transparent, but he refused at the time,” Mauresmo said. “He wasn’t sure that it was his last Roland Garros. Now that he is retired, he is happy to receive it.”
The French Open said it would also honor 2000 women’s champion Mary Pierce and local favorite Richard Gasquet, who will retire after the tournament this year.
The total prize pool for the May 25 to June 8 tournament has been set at 56.352 million euros ($64.11 million), up 5.21% from 2024, Mauresmo said.
Significant pay hikes at the Grand Slams were central to the demands of the world’s top players in their letter to the four majors recently, and the French Open has said it will be open to constructive meetings.
Meanwhile, French Tennis Federation chief Gilles Moretton said the Grand Slam would not break tradition and replace line judges with electronic line calling despite the other majors embracing the technology more widely.
Wimbledon will adopt electronic line calling this year, joining the US Open and Australian Open.
Roland Garros has not favored a similar move despite the availability of electronic line calling technology specific to clay courts as traces left by the ball on the surface can help umpires with their decision-making.
“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,” Moretton said. “I hope we’ll be able to maintain it in our tournaments in the future.”
Organizers also plan to build on the success of the 2024 Paris Olympics by setting up a fan zone with giant screens showing matches. Located at Place de la Concorde in central Paris, the venue will be free and open to up to 5,000 fans.
“We saw an incredible atmosphere last summer in Paris. We plan on surfing on this success,” Mauresmo said.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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