The French Open has been defined by Rafael Nadal's presence, even though he is not playing. Instead, Nadal was honored with the playing of Roland Garros on Sunday.

Furthermore, Nadal joined alongside the “big four” in a special tribute to him. The other three are his contemporaries Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray.

On Monday, Italy's Jannik Sinner paid tribute to Nadal in a unique way, per Roland Garros. After defeating France's Arthur Rheinderknech in three straight sets, Sinner was shown the Nadal Plaque, an honor that featured Nadal's footprint etched into clay. Sinner described the impact Nadal had on the game. 

Nadal announced his retirement from tennis in October 2024. One month later, he called it quits with 22 Grand Slam titles. He has won 14 French Opens, a record for the most wins in Grand Slam tournament history. 

From 2010 to 2014, Nadal won four consecutive French Opens and was proclaimed the “king of clay.” 

His impact on the sport has rubbed off on the current generation of players. Among those is Sinner. 

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Rafael Nadal's influence on Jannik Sinner

Sinner has admired Nadal in virtually every aspect of tennis and has cited his tireless work ethic and dedication to the game as inspiration. 

In addition, Sinner appreciates the humility Nadal exuded throughout his career. He had the privilege of seeing Nadal play up close as a child growing up in Italy and training under him. 

Last year, Sinner was issued a three-month ban from the sport after testing positive for a controlled substance. Afterward, Nadal vigorously defended Sinner, saying the world's No. 1 player would never cheat.

“I've said it several times: I'm totally convinced that Jannik never wanted to cheat or do anything illicit. I'd bet my life on it. There's always a lot of fuss about this kind of thing, and when it happens, it's bad for everyone. For him, I think, has been through an ordeal for a year. Obviously, for tennis, this kind of thing is negative,” Nadal said to the French newspaper L'Equipe.

Nadal cited tennis's rigorous testing procedures as the basis for his defense.