Chatrier, only instead of competing, he was going to be feted by the French tennis federation for all that he accomplished on the red clay.

An emotional Rafael Nadal, who retired in November, was honored with a farewell ceremony on Court Philippe-Chatrier, where he won a record 14 French Open championships.

Nadal is known as The King of Clay for a reason: 14 of his 22 major titles came at Roland-Garros. The Spaniard won his first French Open in 2005, just days after his 19th birthday, before going on an unprecedented run at the tournament over the following two decades. Nadal won his final French Open in 2022, days after turning 36.