They traveled from all over — from Europe and Oceania, from North America and South America — to be at Roland Garros on Monday, intent on watching Rafael Nadal play what turned out to be his only French Open match this year. And might be his last ever. Nadal, who has won 14 of his 22 Grand Slam trophies in Paris, lost 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3 on Day 2 of the tournament in Court Philippe Chatrier against No.
4 seed Alexander Zverev. Tennis fans wanted to be present for what felt like a monumental occasion, even if Nadal said afterward there remains a chance he will return. They were there to see Nadal compete, of course, but also to salute him as a player and person, to congratulate him on a remarkable career and, perhaps, to catch one final glimpse of his greatness at a tournament that has helped define his legacy.
“He’s my favorite tennis player. Maybe when he retires, I will find someone new. But I don’t know if I will give that much love to the next one,” said Fiona Li, a 35-year-old who works in luxury fashion in the Netherlands.
“His power is that he never gives up. He encourages me when I am really down. He fights until the last minute.
That’s what we need in daily life. When you’re sad or something, you watch him play, and everything is solved.” Li, who said she's been a Nadal fan since 2005, the year he won his first title at Roland Garros as a teenager, made sure to stop by the 3-meter-tall (about 10-feet-tall) statue of Nadal that was unveiled in 2021 a.