{"id":47821,"date":"2025-05-13T02:59:19","date_gmt":"2025-05-13T02:59:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=47821"},"modified":"2025-05-13T02:59:19","modified_gmt":"2025-05-13T02:59:19","slug":"rafael-nadal-takes-on-new-role-for-french-open-after-ceremony-announced","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=47821","title":{"rendered":"Rafael Nadal takes on new role for French Open after ceremony announced"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\"Rafael<\/picture>\n

Rafael Nadal will be honoured on the opening day of the French Open. (Image: Getty)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Tennis legend Rafael Nadal\u00a0is still having a say at\u00a0this month\u2019s French Open despite having retired from the sport. The 38-year-old called it quits after the Davis Cup last November, bringing down the curtain on an iconic career.<\/p>\n

The Spaniard won 22 Grand Slam titles and two Olympic gold medals. However, he was at his most formidable at Roland Garros, winning 14 of his major titles in the French capital. He finished his career with an incredible 112-4 record at the tournament, and his domination led to him being known as the \u2018King of Clay\u2019.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Last year, following his last appearance in Paris, he declined the opportunity for a tribute. Amid emotional scenes, Nadal was beaten by Alexander Zverev in the first round.<\/p>\n

However, French Open organisers have since confirmed that his legacy will be honoured when the Slam gets underway on May 25. A special ceremony will be held on Court Philippe-Chatrier after the three matches of the day session.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n\"Rafael<\/picture>\n

Nadal’s last French Open win came in 2022. (Image: Getty)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Furthermore, the star has already taken on another tournament role. He\u2019s provided the voiceover for the tournament\u2019s official trailer, which features clips of the venue and footage of the game\u2019s greats competing there over the years.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnly where love is written in capitals,\u201d he says during the footage. \u201cOnly on clay where champions fight. Only the glide, the slide, the might. Only endurance until the night. Only where tennis and everybody rhyme.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cOnly where hats fit on every head. Only where clay marks passion in red. Only a stage for courage and fire. Only here, where all dreams transpire.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nadal hasn\u2019t confirmed if he\u2019ll stay in France for the duration of the event. The tournament culminates on Sunday, May 25, with the men\u2019s singles final.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The 14-time champion at Roland Garros will feature heavily in Paris this month despite his retirement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":47822,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47821","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tennis"],"yoast_head":"\nRafael Nadal takes on new role for French Open after ceremony announced - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=47821\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Rafael Nadal takes on new role for French Open after ceremony announced - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The 14-time champion at Roland Garros will feature heavily in Paris this month despite his retirement.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=47821\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-05-13T02:59:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/1-42.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1254\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Admin\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=47821\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=47821\",\"name\":\"Rafael Nadal takes on new role for French Open after ceremony announced - 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