World No.1 Rafael Nadal will be honoured at the French Open by having a statue of him built on the premises.
On Monday the president of the French Tennis Federation, Bernard Giudicelli, confirmed that plans have been approved. The details were outlined on Facebook during a 30-minute video of Giudicelli outlining the current plans of his federation.
“We have, with Rafael Nadal, chosen a statute and the image that will represent it. We will now launch a contest to find the artist who will create the statue of Rafa, which will be opposite the entrance of the future Philippe Chatrier,” the head of French tennis confirmed.
Earlier this year, Nadal became the first player in history to win the French Open for a tenth time. During his career, the Spaniard has achieved a winning record of 79-2 (98% win rate). His two losses occurred to Robin Soderling in 2009 and Novak Djokovic in 2015. Roland Garros is currently the only grand slam where Nadal has won 60 or more matches.
Nadal’s love affair with the French Open has been well documented. This year he brushed aside Stan Wawrinka 6-2, 6-3, 6-1, to achieve the ‘La Decima.’ Shortly afterwards, the 31-year-old discussed his relationship with the tournament.
“It’s a feeling that’s impossible to describe,” Nadal said. “For me the nerves and the adrenaline I feel when I play on this court is impossible to compare to another court. It is the most important event in my career, to win again here is impossible to describe.”
The triumph contributed towards Nadal’s rise back to world No.1 this week. He will now enter the US Open as the top seed for the first time since 2010. Outside of Roland Garros, he hasn’t won a major title since the 2013 New York tournament.
List of grand slam titles won by Nadal
| 2005 | French Open | Clay | def Mariano Puerta | 6–7(6–8), 6–3, 6–1, 7–5 | |
| 2006 | French Open (2) | Clay | def Roger Federer | 1–6, 6–1, 6–4, 7–6(7–4) | |
| 2007 | French Open (3) | Clay | def Roger Federer | 6–3, 4–6, 6–3, 6–4 | |
| 2008 | French Open (4) | Clay | def Roger Federer | 6–1, 6–3, 6–0 | |
| 2008 | Wimbledon | Grass | def Roger Federer | 6–4, 6–4, 6–7(5–7), 6–7(8–10), 9–7 | |
| 2009 | Australian Open | Hard | def Roger Federer | 7–5, 3–6, 7–6(7–3), 3–6, 6–2 | |
| 2010 | French Open (5) | Clay | def Robin Söderling | 6–4, 6–2, 6–4 | |
| 2010 | Wimbledon (2) | Grass | def Tomáš Berdych | 6–3, 7–5, 6–4 | |
| 2010 | US Open | Hard | def Novak Djokovic | 6–4, 5–7, 6–4, 6–2 | |
| 2011 | French Open (6) | Clay | def Roger Federer | 7–5, 7–6(7–3), 5–7, 6–1 | |
| 2012 | French Open (7) | Clay | def Novak Djokovic | 6–4, 6–3, 2–6, 7–5 | |
| 2013 | French Open (8) | Clay | def David Ferrer | 6–3, 6–2, 6–3 | |
| 2013 | US Open (2) | Hard | def Novak Djokovic | 6–2, 3–6, 6–4, 6–1 | |
| 2014 | French Open (9) | Clay | def Novak Djokovic | 3–6, 7–5, 6–2, 6–4 | |
| 2017 | French Open (10) | Clay | def Stan Wawrinka | 6–2, 6–3, 6–1 |
