French Open 2025: Rafael Nadal tribute ceremony to headline opening day at Roland Garros

French Open organisers will kickstart the newest version of the clay-court Grand Slam by paying tribute to the legendary Rafael Nadal, Roland Garros’ biggest champion of all time with a report 14 titles, on Sunday, the identical day world No 1 Aryna Sabalenka will get her marketing campaign up and operating.

Nadal had introduced the curtains down on an illustrious profession in November final yr, signing off with 22 Grand Slam titles – the second most in males’s singles – with a overwhelming majority of these titles approaching the Paris clay.

He returns to Court docket Philippe Chatrier a yr after struggling a first-round exit by the hands of Alexander Zverev in what proved to be his ultimate French Open.

The Spaniard completed with a outstanding 112-4 win-loss report at Roland Garros, dominating the event since profitable the title on his debut in 2005.

Nadal hung up his racquet following the 2024 Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, initially denying him a possibility to wave goodbye to his adoring followers in Paris.

His tally of 14 victories at a single Grand Slam seems unlikely to be overwhelmed, with Margaret Court docket’s 11 Australian Open titles second on the all-time record.

Welcome dwelling, Rafa 👑#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/4sq1AIcGpY

— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) Could 25, 2025

Former rivals Roger Federer and Andy Murray are anticipated to attend Nadal’s ceremony, in addition to Novak Djokovic – contemporary off his one centesimal ATP title in Geneva.

Nadal’s inheritor obvious Carlos Alcaraz will begin his title defence subsequent week as a slight favorite to turn into the primary man to raise the Coupe des Mousquetaires since his compatriot’s retirement.

Victory over world primary Jannik Sinner in final weekend’s Italian Open ultimate gave Alcaraz the second seeding for Roland Garros.

That raises the potential of the world’s prime two gamers assembly in a Grand Slam ultimate for the very first time on June 8.

“I believe for the folks, for the tennis followers, I believe it’s nice to have a match-up from some gamers that make them enthusiastic about watching that match,” Alcaraz advised his pre-tournament press convention of his budding rivalry with Sinner.

“I believe for the folks and doubtless the individuals who don’t like watching tennis, I believe (our rivalry) is one thing that due to that (they’ve) began to observe tennis.”

Djokovic will launch his sixth bid for a record-breaking twenty fifth Grand Slam triumph towards American Mackenzie McDonald on Tuesday.

The 38-year-old grew to become simply the third man to succeed in a century of event victories, after Jimmy Connors and Federer, by defeating Hubert Hurkacz in a three-hour epic in Switzerland on Saturday.

However questions stay about Djokovic’s kind after dropping in his opening matches in each Monte Carlo and Madrid to Alejandro Tabilo and Matteo Arnaldi respectively.

The Serb faces a troublesome draw, with final yr’s runner-up Zverev a possible quarter-final opponent and Sinner probably ready within the final 4.

Sabalenka eyeing first French Open

Girls’s world primary Sabalenka headlines the opening-day motion together with her first-round match towards Seventy fifth-ranked Russian Kamilla Rakhimova.

The Belarusian will kick off the schedule on Court docket Philippe Chatrier as she seems to make a robust begin to her tilt at a primary French Open title.

Sabalenka has by no means reached the ultimate at Roland Garros, however the event seems extra open than in recent times given the struggles of three-time defending champion Iga Swiatek.

The Pole has slipped to fifth within the rankings and has not reached a WTA ultimate since lifting her fourth French Open trophy final yr.

Sabalenka believes she is as well-placed as ever to take benefit.

“All through the years I’ve improved rather a lot (on clay) and at present I really feel bodily, mentally… my sport is just about able to play on clay. Yeah, I undoubtedly really feel stronger than ever,” stated Sabalenka, who received the Madrid Open earlier this month.

Elina Svitolina, a four-time quarter-finalist in Paris, opened the motion underneath the roof on Court docket Suzanne Lenglen towards Turkey’s Zeynep Sonmez as play started on Sunday in drizzly circumstances.

Italian Open champion Jasmine Paolini, who was properly overwhelmed by Swiatek within the 2024 ultimate, performs Yuan Yue.

Chinese language star Zheng Qinwen and rising Russian star Diana Shnaider are among the many different girls’s hopefuls on courtroom.

Males’s eighth seed Lorenzo Musetti, who has reached not less than the semi-finals in any respect three clay-court Masters occasions this yr, faces German Yannick Hanfmann.

With AFP inputs