Nadal did not receive the farewell ceremony he deserved when he retired, a regret that could be made up for in 2025.

Earlier this week, Gilles Moretton, president of the French tennis association, said in an interview with Europe 1 radio that a major tribute event was planned for Nadal, details of which have not yet been announced. The event will take place during the 2025 French Open, with the tournament scheduled for between May 25 and June 8.

"There has to be some kind of tribute to Rafael Nadal." "I'm not going to give any details in advance, but it's going to be a very grand tribute, a real tribute, very important," Moreton confirmed. We're very invested in that. The (2024) Davis Cup tribute is not the kind we should give him. We were ready last year [at Roland Garros], but he wasn't ready to retire at the time, he's still an active player. In 2025, there will be a grand tribute ceremony at Roland Garros. ”

"We went to see him at the beginning of December, and together with [tournament director] Amelie Moresmo, we talked to him about the tribute we had organized for him and what we planned for the future."

Nadal is a 14-time French Open champion with a 112-4 record and has won 22 Grand Slam titles. The Spaniard lost to Zverev in the opening round in Paris last year, but at the time he was not sure about the future of his career.

Six months later, Nadal retired at the Davis Cup Finals – and the situation was a bit complicated. Although Nadal has confirmed that this will be his last match, it is still uncertain which matches he will play and how far Spain will go. In the end, Spain soon lost to the Netherlands in the first round, and Nadal lost to Van der Shanchop in the singles match.

All of this happened in exchange for a relatively uneventful retirement ceremony, which was attended by some Spanish tennis legends, but was small and prepared. Djokovic should have been present if Spain had advanced, but the early exit of Spain left Djokovic without time to rush to Malaga.

"I watched that video." Djokovic said, "I don't know if Rafa doesn't want to be too big so as not to disturb the other teams [and the game]. To be honest, I don't know, but I regret that I wasn't there...... If you ask me for my personal opinion, the ceremony was not properly organized. Maybe Rafa himself isn't sure if he'll continue to play, [or] if he'll be able to play more. Then it may not be too late to make it grander. I really don't know. ”

"We all thought the ceremony was a bit sloppy and sloppy." Nadal's coach, Carlos Moya, added, "We knew a few months ago that Rafa would retire as soon as Spain was out. ”

Moreton and the French tennis federation are clearly on the same page, and they will make amends in Paris this summer.

In addition, Netflix has confirmed that it will release a documentary series about the Spanish legend. The documentary will "include an unprecedented visit to follow Nadal's comeback for the 2024 season" and "shine a spotlight on Nadal's illustrious career, as well as his life off the court, revealing undisclosed material from Nadal's personal file".

Nadal also said he was confident that the final product would be amazing, "I never thought I would do anything like this, but I got a call from David Ellison, and his words, combined with this amazing project that they presented me, really convinced me that this was what I should do." Everyone can see how my tennis career has been going on, especially this year, how my life and my career have developed. I believe that the final work, the documentary series, will definitely be amazing and it will be broadcast all over the world. ”

Netflix has already been deeply involved in tennis, launching two seasons of the "Break Point" series, and also live-streamed the "Netflix Slam" exhibition match between Nadal and Alcaraz. In addition, Netflix will release a documentary series about Alcaraz next year, tracking the four-time Grand Slam champion's extraordinary performances in the 2024 season.(Source: Tennis Home Author: Spark)