Tearful Rafael Nadal honored in emotional French Open farewell

Few athletes have become more synonymous with a single event than Rafael Nadal and the French Open. The Spaniard won a record 14 titles at the grand slam in his career and Roland Garros gave its champion one final goodbye on Sunday.

Few athletes have become more synonymous with a single event than Rafael Nadal and the French Open. The Spaniard won a record 14 titles at the clay-court grand slam during his illustrious career and Roland Garros gave its legendary champion one last special goodbye on Sunday. The 38-year-old, who retired from tennis last year, was honored during an emotional ceremony at the start of this year’s event and Nadal couldn’t hide his emotion. Thousands of fans, many wearing custom red tops with the message “Merci Rafa” written on them, greeted Nadal with a standing ovation as he walked out onto Court Philippe-Chatrier. A montage of Nadal’s highlights at the tournament then began playing on the big screens, leaving the 22-time grand slam champion with tears in his eyes. “This is tough,” Nadal said in French, as he started his emotional speech.