Rafael Nadal prepares to say farewell to French Open

Rafael Nadal said he wants to be remembered as a ‘good person’ above all else, as he bids to say farewell to Roland Garros.

If this is to be Nadal’s final French Open, the 14-time champion hopes that people associated with the clay court Grand Slam will feel ‘happy’ to see him again in the future.

"When I come back to the tournament, the people who are inside the tournament, the people who are on the tour (ATP), feels happy to watch me again. That's the thing, you did the things well, and you have a good relationship with, the people who really knows the players."

"Because, I mean, you can fake the crowd, you can fake the people who don't know you, very well for, for a while, because at the end of the day, they are not, inside the locker room, but the people who are inside the tournaments, that, see you every single day, then the people who really knows who you are personally you know. So I want to be a remembered, more or less like, like a good person," Rafa stated.

The 38-year-old has been reflecting on his success in Paris as he bids to return to his favourite event for the first time since 2022.

Hip and abdominal muscle injuries have limited Nadal to 20 matches over the past 20 months, after he missed nearly all of 2023 with injury.

The Spaniard returned in April, but in three places he's won a total of 27 titles — Barcelona, Madrid, Rome — Nadal made it no further than the fourth round anywhere and is now unseeded at Roland Garros.

Nadal opens his bid for a record 15th title with a first-round match against German fourth seed Alexander Zverev.