Rafael Nadal: A legend cast in clay

A closely considered choice

Designed and produced in the utmost confidentiality, the plaque – and in particular where it was laid – was at the centre of the debate all throughout the preparations for the ceremony. “We wanted Rafa to leave his mark on the Philippe-Chatrier court, where he made so much history, winning his 14 titles,” explained Camille Neff, Events Manager at the FFT who was in charge of organising the farewell. “As it was out of the question to change the court’s name, we had the idea of laying a plaque, but that opened the debate as to where exactly, as we couldn’t access the clay at the start of the project.”

In the President’s box? In Charlie square – the small area before entering the court? Or directly in the players’ tunnel? Although all these options were considered, none felt right as it would have meant the plaque was not visible to all, only the players or guests. “So we started to wonder if we couldn’t find a place on court that wouldn’t cause any issues, a space that wouldn’t affect the tennis, stop players from sliding or affect their footwork,” continued the Events Manager. “The President loved the idea. After an awful lot of thought, we decided it would be best near the net post.”

Once the concept was approved, Camille Neff and Tournament Director Amélie Mauresmo took the time to decide what to include on the plaque. “The Musketeers’ Cup had to be included, he lifted it 14 times, so it had to be part of the design,” continued Camille Neff. “For this question, we also contacted Rafa’s agent [who was the only person from the Nadal clan in on details of the ceremony], who urged us to write ‘Rafa Nadal’ rather than ‘Rafael’, as that’s how everyone calls him. As we’re on clay and he’s literally left his mark on the court, we decided to include his footprint. And last but not least, we chose to write 14 rather than the date of every one of his successes!”

A carefully crafted creation

Just one month before the big day, Estelle Blondel, a graphic designer working in the FFT studio, became involved to assemble the various components included in the plaque, and came up with the final design that was then entrusted to the Marbrerie des Yvelines. They had already carved the bases for the famous statues of the Musketeers, which stand in the eponymous square in the venue, using a digital robot with a diamond cutter, and gave specific, meticulous instructions regarding the design. As such, the studio had to work with certain predefined fonts for the numbers and letters, and draw thick lines that would suit material as exacting as marble. “The timing was very tight and I couldn’t consult with my colleagues as there were only two of us aware of the brief,” revealed the graphic designer. “Illustrating the footprint was the trickiest part, and took the most time. We obviously weren’t able to get in touch with the player, so I had to draw it using the photos we had in our multimedia library. We worked hard to ensure the result lived up to expectations.”

Produced with just one week to go, the plaque was laid on the court the day before the ceremony! This prompted a new logistical challenge for Camille Neff and her team… “No-one was in on the secret, so we couldn’t warn the ball girls and ball boys not to walk or run on that part of the court,” she said. “We came up with a work around, asking them to stay as far from the net as possible for technical and technological reasons. We did have to inform the court maintenance managers however, because we absolutely had to avoid them sweeping this area during the matches before the tribute!”

Une magnifique "cerise sur le gâteau"

Présent face aux médias – dans une salle de presse qui affichait complet pour l’occasion – moins d’une heure après la fin de la cérémonie, Rafael Nadal était encore ému et touché par l’hommage grandiose qu’il venait de recevoir : "Je ne savais rien avant la cérémonie. Quand j’ai vu la plaque, je pensais qu’elle ne resterait que cette année. Savoir qu’elle sera là pour toujours, c’est un cadeau indescriptible. Ce sera toujours un honneur et beaucoup d’émotions de la voir sur le court le plus important de ma carrière. Ma gratitude est infinie."

S’il n’y a pas de plus belle récompense que l’émoi et les remerciements du principal intéressé, les réactions mondiales suscitées par l’objet et sa signification ont pris de court les principaux instigateurs de cet incroyable projet. "Honnêtement, on pensait que ce serait une sorte de cerise sur le gâteau, une petite touche en plus, c’est d’ailleurs pour ça que l’inauguration a eu lieu en toute fin de cérémonie. Tout le monde a été surpris du retentissement, surtout vis-à-vis des autres séquences de l’hommage. On espérait toucher Rafa et le monde du tennis, mais on n’imaginait pas que ça fonctionnerait à ce point-là", apprécie Camille Neff.

A magnificent “cherry on the cake”

Talking to the media, in a press room packed out for the occasion, less than an hour after the ceremony had come to a close, Rafael Nadal remained visibly emotional and touched by the overwhelming tribute he had just received. “I didn’t know anything about the ceremony. When I saw the plaque, I thought it was going to be just for this year. Knowing that’s going to be forever there, it’s a present that I can’t describe in words. It’s always going to be a huge honour and very, very emotional to have this spot on the most important court of my tennis career. My gratitude to the people who made that happen is infinite.”

Although there could be no greater reward than the emotion and appreciation of the man himself, the reaction from around the world to the plaque and what it meant took the people behind this incredible project quite by surprise. “Honestly, we thought it would be the cherry on the cake, a little extra touch, and that is why the inauguration happened right at the end of the ceremony. Everyone was taken aback by the reaction, especially alongside the other parts of the tribute. We had hoped to show Rafa and the tennis world how much he meant to us, but we didn’t think it would be seen as quite so exceptional,” concluded Camille Neff.

Waiting in the wings after their greatly cheered appearance on court, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray were particularly moved by this incredible honour from the organisers. “The most amazing thing is that it isn’t just for this year, it will be here forever. His name is literally set in stone!” they all agreed.

This was followed by a huge wave of glowing praise from Rafa’s contempories, some of whom took the opportunity to attend the event on the Philippe-Chatrier court and applaud his career, immortalising the memory by filming it on their phone, as did Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz. “If any player deserves a plaque in his name on court, it’s obviously him,” commented the two-time winner of Roland-Garros. “If I’m ever struggling in a match, I think I’ll head over to the plaque to channel Rafa’s energy and mindset.”

There was a similar reaction from the four-time champion Iga Swiatek, whose love and respect for her idol are a secret for no-one. “I went to see it and I think it’s incredible. I’m pleased Roland-Garros did that for Rafa, he deserves it,” said the Polish player who watched every second of the 47-minute ceremony. There’s no doubt fans, players, ball girls and boys, umpires and employees will for years to come gaze upon the marble plaque, which perfectly complements the champion’s statue that stands nearby in the Musketeers’ garden. “His footprint will be there forever. Players will see it on court, they will know Rafa won 14 times here, and they will show him the respect he deserves,” added Alex Corretja, who twice reached the final at Roland-Garros (1998 and 2001). On 25 May 2025, Rafael Nadal waved goodbye to his favourite playground, but his legend will remain, set in the clay for all time.

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