LEARNARD SEED SERVICE

05/25 11:49 CDT French Open 2025: Rafael Nadal is celebrated at the tournament he won a record 14 times French Open 2025: Rafael Nadal is celebrated at the tournament he won a record 14 times By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer PARIS (AP) --- Rafael Nadal stepped out into Court Philippe-Chatrier on Sunday to the sort of unending adulation, thunderous applause and chants of his nickname, "Rafa," that greeted him for years as he accumulated a record 14 French Open championships, only this time he was being honored at a farewell ceremony. Thousands of spectators gave Nadal, who retired last year, a standing ovation as he strode through the doorway that leads from the locker room to the playing surface he ruled like no one ever has in the history of tennis. Instead of that familiar headband or the tape on his fingers or the capri pants he made famous early in his career, Nadal was wearing a dark suit and dark dress shirt. He smiled broadly and waved at the crowd, which seemed to occupy just about every seat in the 15,000-capacity venue. As a highlight video --- showing those lefty bullwhip forehands, those pumped fists accompanying shouts of "Vamos!" and the relentless racing to every inch of the court --- began playing on the screens, Nadal bit his lower lip and appeared on the verge of tears. Later, his voice cracked and he sniffled while delivering a speech of thanks in French, then English, and then his native Spanish. "This is tough," he began, in French. "Good evening, everyone. I don't know where to start after playing on this court for the past 20 years. Winning, losing --- but especially being moved every time I've had the chance to be here." Mostly winning, of course: His career record at the French Open was 112-4. That's why a larger-than-life steel statue of Nadal was installed outside Chatrier while he was still an active player. That includes 14-0 in finals at the event, which always were held in Chatrier, which he called "without a doubt, the most important court of my tennis career." Nadal, who turns 39 on June 3, thanked tournament organizers. His coaches. Other members of his entourage. His parents. His wife, who stood in the front row behind one of the baselines, holding their 2-year-old son. And his greatest rivals --- Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray --- who all walked out together to join Nadal on the court and hug him. Nadal's speech occasionally was interrupted by roars from those in attendance. They received T-shirts matching the rust color of the clay on the court below, with "MERCI RAFA" in white, capital letters and Sunday's date stamped on the front. Depending on where they were sitting, some people instead received white shirts that, when seen together, spelled out particular messages, including "14 RG" next to a representation of the La Coupe des Mousquetaires trophy awarded to the men's champion at Roland-Garros. Another part of the upper deck showed "RAFA" between two hearts. ___ AP Sports Writer Jerome Pugmire contributed. ___ Howard Fendrich has been the AP's tennis writer since 2002. Find his stories here: https://apnews.com/author/howard-fendrich. More AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis