Rafael Nadal has revealed that he started crying after learning of his role in the Olympics opening ceremony. Last summer, the former gold medallist had the honour of taking the torch from Zinedine Zidane and carrying it during its final leg in Paris.
Despite being Spanish, Nadal has a legacy in France, winning the title in Roland Garros 14 times. The former world No. 1 knew he would be part of the opening ceremony but had no idea just how significant his appearance would be, and he had to tell himself to “shut up” when he started crying.
Nadal’s record at the French Open is one of the most dominant statistics in sports. The Spaniard has lifted the title 14 times out of 19 appearances and has a 112-4 record in matches. There is even a statue of him on the grounds.
With the tennis event at last year’s Paris Olympics being staged at Stade Roland Garros, it was no surprise that Nadal was asked to be involved in the opening ceremony for the 2024 Games.
However, the 22-time Major champion had no idea what he would be doing in the ceremony until just a few minutes before – and he quickly became emotional.
Nadal reflected on the iconic moment during his appearance on Andy Roddick’s Served podcast, explaining just how much the moment meant to him.
“It’s the most important event of our world that is sport,” the former world No. 1 said. “So to be part of it had been, for me, a recognition that meant a lot to me.
“And of course, in Paris, the history I had with that city is… It’s difficult to explain, honestly, because I really don’t know how we arrived to that number [of French Open titles], that for me is difficult to imagine. But it happened.”
Nadal was happy to be involved in the ceremony in any capacity but he was taken aback when he learned he would be carrying the torch. The 2008 gold medallist only found out “five minutes before, 10 minutes before”.
He added: “I was nervous because I didn’t know what it was going to be. When we see the image, I was going up the stairs, going to the stage to pick up the torch.
“So in that moment I had like two minutes of waiting there. So when I realised the moment, I started to cry a little bit before.”
But Nadal didn’t want anything to ruin the moment. “When I started to cry, I say, ‘Shut up, man! Stop it. It’s not the moment to cry, it’s the moment to enjoy’,” he continued.
“I say, ‘Okay, try not to be too emotional. Just enjoy the moment. Let’s go out, let’s go the thing and let’s have fun’. And yeah, it was amazing.”
Nadal went on to lose in the second round of the singles event at the Olympics, and lost in the doubles quarter-final alongside Carlos Alcaraz. Soon after the event, the 38-year-old decided to retire from professional tennis and he played his last match in November.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk