Clay king Rafael Nadal makes a French Open comeback

Dubai: Clay king Rafael Nadal is returning to Roland Garros. But the Spaniard who is a winner of 22 Grand Slam titles, including 14 at the French Open, will make a comeback not as a player but as a voice-over artist in the tournament’s official teaser trailer.

The 38-year-old Nadal retired in 2024 after playing for Spain in the Davis Cup after being plagued by injuries for a long time.

“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.

Talking about honoring Nadal at the French Open, French Open director Amélie Mauresmo said: “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. We want the tribute to be special, exceptional. We want it to be a surprise for everyone.”

“We wanted to do the tribute last year, to be transparent, but he refused at the time,” Mauresmo added. “He wasn’t sure that it was his last Roland Garros. Now that he is retired, he is happy to receive it.”