Rafael Nadal visited Amelie Mauresmo and Gilles Moretton at his home in Mallorca. Rafa received a replica of his famous statue displayed at Roland Garros, in another honor for a 14-time clay-court Major champion. Nadal repeated how much Roland Garros means to him, thanking his visitors and promising to give his best again in Paris in May and June.
The Roland Garros organizers displayed a massive statue at their venue in 2021, honoring a 13-time champion and everything he has achieved in Paris. Rafael Nadal’s statue was constructed entirely of stainless steel. It stands three meters tall, 4,89 meters wide and two meters deep and displays Nadal while hitting his trademark forehand.
The FFT President Gilles Moretton and the sculptor Jordi Diez Fernandez, one of the leading Spanish artists, were also presented at the ceremony that honored one of the greatest players of all time and his Roland Garros achievements.
Alongside Nadal, aviator Roland Garros and famous ‘Four Musketeers’ Jean Borotra, Jacques Brugnon, Henri Cochet and Rene Lacoste have also received their statues at one of the essential tennis venues. Nadal claimed the first Roland Garros crown on his debut in 2005, defeating Roger Federer and Mariano Puerta en route to tennis glory.
Rafael Nadal received a small statue from the Roland Garros organizers.
The Spaniard lost only one match in Paris before 2015, conquering nine titles from ten visits to the French capital and writing history books. After two poor performances in 2015 and 2016, Rafa restored the order at his beloved Major in 2017, losing only one match in six years and standing on incredible 14 Roland Garros crowns.
Last year, the Spaniard beat Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev and Casper Ruud en route to his 22nd Major crown, keeping his incredible Roland Garros magic 17 years after debuting there. “It’s a great privilege to welcome you here in Mallorca.
You know how much Roland Garros and this place mean to me. Having you here is an extraordinary moment, and I can not thank you enough for coming, along with some of the staff with whom I’m very close in Paris. Thank you so much for sending this replica of the big one at Roland Garros.
For me, it’s incredible to have my sculpture at Roland Garros, and now I have one here, which means a lot! Thank you very much for everything, and I hope to see you again this year at Roland Garros, and I will try to be competitive,” Rafael Nadal said.
