Rafael Nadal won’t be playing at Roland Garros this year, but the King of Clay will be omnipresent at the tournament he dominated in his career nonetheless. In addition to a forthcoming celebration that tournament director Amélie Mauresmo has promised will be “exceptional,” the 14-time Roland Garros champion was revealed Monday as the voice of the tournament’s official teaser trailer.
In the 45-second clip, posted to Roland Garros’ social media channels two weeks ahead of the start of the main draw, Nadal reads a poem paired with idyllic and dramatic scenes from the Parisian Grand Slam. Tense moments to trophy lifts, with action from the men’s, women’s and wheelchair events interspersed with photos, make for a captivating package that was met with universal acclaim from fans online.
“Only where love is written in capital letters, only the clay where champions fight, only the glide, the power, only the endurance until the night, only where tennis and everyone rhyme, only where hats fit all heads, only where the clay marks passion in red, only where rituals leave a trace, only a stage for courage and fire, only here where all dreams transpire, only at Roland-Garros,” Nadal says in his narration.
Watch and listen to the trailer in full below, a clip which closes with a tight shot of Nadal himself standing on the terre battue.
To whet fans’ appetites ahead of the official reveal, Roland Garros also posted a behind-the-scenes “Making Of” clip late last week, which showcased Nadal studying his script, and testing a microphone, on the grounds of his eponymous tennis academy in Mallorca, Spain.
With Roland Garros having previously unveiled a statue on its grounds in Nadal’s honor in 2021, former world No. 1 Mauresmo played coy last month in sharing exactly how the tournament will honor its most prolific champion now that he is retired, only reiterating that Roland Garros organizers respected his wishes and canceled a planned tribute ceremony following what was ultimately his last Roland Garros match: a first-round loss to eventual finalist Alexander Zverev last May. (He did play at the venue for the Olympics two months later.)
A ceremony celebrating Nadal’s career will take on the opening day of the tournament on Court Philippe-Chatrier, following the conclusion of the day session’s three matches. In addition, an exhibition paying tribute to Nadal’s victories will also be on display for the duration of the clay-court major.
“Rafa has left his mark on the history of the French Open in so many ways, that’s why a tribute ceremony will be held in his honor,” she said in a press conference detailing what’s new at the tournament for 2025. “We want the tribute to be special, exceptional. We want it to be a surprise for everyone.”
