Very few athletes can be associated with a single venue like Rafael Nadal can be with the French Open. The Spaniard dominated the clay courts in Paris for nearly two decades, winning 14 titles in 19 appearances at tennis' clay court major.

Nadal retired at the end of the 2024 season and the first edition of Roland Garros since the retirement of its greatest champion got underway on Sunday. Before the night session on the main stadium, Court Philippe Chatrier, got underway, the tournament honored Nadal with a touching ceremony.

To bring the 14-time champion out for his last hurrah on court, he was introduced the same way he was before every match he played there.

The intro lists off all of Nadal's titles in order as he comes out and was a very intimidating sound for any opponents that he faced there over the last 20 years.

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French Open honors Rafael Nadal with footprint tribute on Court Philippe Chatrier

Nadal's ceremony hit all the right notes on Sunday and was truly a proper sendoff for one of the great champions in the sport's history. Roland Garros put a plaque on Chatrier with Nadal's footprint as well as a picture of the French Open trophy with the number 14 for all of his titles.

All of the stars were out to celebrate Nadal as well. Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray all came out to see the final sendoff for one of their greatest rivals. The four of them dominated the sport for almost 20 years, and now Djokovic is the only one that remains as an active player.

Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Świątek, the defending champions in the men's and women's tournaments respectively, also came out in the crowd to show support for Nadal, who inspired both of them growing up. Alcaraz and Nadal played doubles together for Spain at the 2024 Paris Olympics, which were played at Roland Garros.

Nadal's 112-4 record at the French Open will likely never be touched, and he is sure to stand alone as the King of Clay for many, any years to come. After Sunday's festivities, he is etched on the court in Roland Garros history forever.