Rafael Nadal's highly anticipated French Open 2025 tribute date finally revealed
Rafael Nadal will receive a special tribute at the 2025 French Open after he decided against receiving one last year. The French Open Director, Amelie Mauresmo, revealed the date of the tribute during a press conference.
On Thursday, April 17, during a special press conference a month before the 2025 French Open, Mauresmo announced plans for a "celebration" in honor of Nadal on Sunday, May 25, on the Philippe-Chatrier court. After the end of the three day matches, the 14-time champion will receive a special tribute at an event he made his own.
Earlier this year, French Tennis Federation President Gilles Moretton had also revealed that a "great moment" was planned for Nadal at the upcoming French Open.
Nadal won his first Grand Slam title at the French Open in 2005 as a teenager. His last major victory also came at Roland Garros in 2022, bringing his Grand Slam tally to 22. With a record 14 French Open titles to his name, the Spaniard's dominance on clay is a legacy unlikely to be matched anytime soon.
Rafael Nadal refused a tribute at the French Open last year due to uncertainty around his retirement
In 2024, Rafael Nadal faced questions about his retirement relentlessly. He received a special tribute at the Madrid Open after he revealed that it was the last time he was playing the event.
However, he remained uncertain if the 2024 French Open was the last time he was playing at the Claycourt Slam. Therefore, he refused to accept a tribute that was planned for him.
"As you can imagine, we had something planned for him, but he said [on Saturday] – he told us actually before yesterday – that he doesn’t know if it’s gonna be his last Roland Garros or not," Amelie Mauresmo said during a press conference last year (via Tennis365).
"He wants to leave the door open for him maybe to come back next year as a player. So we’re not going to push him to do anything. It’s his decision when he wants to have a proper ceremony or proper goodbye, and proper farewell. So we’re not going to do it this year," she added.
In his final French Open appearance, Nadal was defeated in the first round by Alexander Zverev. A few months later, in October, the Spaniard announced that he would embrace retirement after representing his nation at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga.
Tributes poured in for the Spanish tennis legend, and he played his final game, a loss against Botic van de Zandschulp, at the Davis Cup quarterfinals against the Netherlands. Spain lost the tie, and Nadal's playing career came to an end.