Roland Garros will salute its undisputed king Sunday with a special ceremony for Rafael Nadal, the retired Spanish icon who redefined dominance on clay.
Nadal, who called time on his career last November, returns to Court Philippe Chatrier a year after a first-round exit to Alexander Zverev marked his final French Open appearance.
The 14-time champion amassed a jaw-dropping 112-4 record in Paris – a legacy that began with his debut title run in 2005 and turned the red clay into his personal kingdom.
While Nadal prepares to take a final bow, Aryna Sabalenka opened her French Open campaign in ruthless fashion, powering through her first-round match to signal her title intentions.
Nadal hung up his racket following the 2024 Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, initially denying him an opportunity to wave goodbye to his adoring fans in Paris.
His tally of 14 titles at a single Grand Slam appears unlikely to be beaten, with Margaret Court’s 11 Australian Open championships second on the all-time list.
Former rivals Roger Federer and Andy Murray are expected to attend Nadal’s ceremony, along with Novak Djokovic – fresh off his 100th ATP title in Geneva.
Nadal’s heir apparent, Carlos Alcaraz, will start his title defense next week as a slight favorite to become the first man to lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires since his compatriot’s retirement.
Victory over world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in last weekend’s Italian Open final earned Alcaraz the No. 2 seeding at Roland Garros.
That raises the possibility of the world’s top two players meeting in a Grand Slam final for the first time on June 8.
“I think for the people, for the tennis fans, it’s great to have a match-up between some players that make them excited about watching,” Alcaraz said at his pre-tournament news conference about his budding rivalry with Sinner.
“I think for the people – and probably even those who don’t like watching tennis – this kind of rivalry gets them to start watching.”
Djokovic will launch his bid for a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title against American Mackenzie McDonald on Tuesday.
The 38-year-old became just the third man to reach 100 career tournament victories – after Jimmy Connors and Federer – by defeating Hubert Hurkacz in a three-hour epic in Switzerland on Saturday.
But questions remain about Djokovic’s form after opening-match losses in both Monte Carlo and Madrid to Alejandro Tabilo and Matteo Arnaldi, respectively.
The Serb faces a tough draw, with last year’s runner-up, Zverev, a potential quarterfinal opponent and Sinner possibly waiting in the semifinals.
Sabalenka, Zheng power through openers
Women’s world No. 1 Sabalenka needed just an hour to sweep aside Russian Kamilla Rakhimova on the tournament’s opening day.
The Belarusian kicked off the schedule under the roof on Court Philippe Chatrier with a ruthless 6-1, 6-0 win – a commanding start to her bid for a first French Open crown.
Sabalenka has never reached the final in Paris, but with three-time defending champion Iga Swiatek struggling, the tournament appears more open than in recent years.
The Pole has slipped to No. 5 in the rankings and has not reached a WTA final since lifting her fourth French Open trophy last year.
Sabalenka believes she is as well placed as ever to take advantage.
“I really feel I can do really good here,” said Sabalenka, who hit 30 winners past Rakhimova in a one-sided contest. “Super happy with the level.”
China’s Zheng Qinwen, who won Olympic gold last year at Roland Garros, overcame a tricky first-round test by beating former finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4, 6-3.
“I will carry the gold-medal mentality throughout the tournament,” said Zheng, the No. 8 seed.
Elina Svitolina opened play on Court Suzanne Lenglen with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez, as scattered showers briefly interrupted action on the outer courts before clearing.
Italian Open champion Jasmine Paolini, who was outclassed by Swiatek in the 2024 final, faces Yuan Yue.
Men’s No. 8 seed Lorenzo Musetti, who has reached at least the semifinals at all three clay-court Masters events this year, takes on Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann.
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