Rafael Nadal prepares for his final strike at Rolland Garros. After withdrawing from the tour last year, Nadal makes his last French Open move to delight his fans once more before leaving the racket on the ground finally. Rafa’s last Rolland Garros moment has left many people sad including Djokovic’s former coach Boris Becker. Now, in an emotional tribute, this Spaniard’s former colleague from his country speaks about how his presence makes the tour “EPIC no matter what happens!”

Alex Corretja recently took his official X (formerly Twitter) to share his overwhelming feelings about Rafael Nadal’s return to Rolland Garros. “When you see the images of Rafa Nadal arriving at the Roland Garros facilities and then watching him train on the center court, you realize that this @rolandgarros 2024 is going to be EPIC no matter what happens! We will be in @Eurosport_ES and @eurosport for another year! @RafaelNadal ” tweeted Corretja. Given that, this French Open might be Rafa’s final attempt before he retires, the whole tennis fraternity including fans, is very emotional about it.

Nadal played his last French Open in 2022, where he bagged the tour’s title. However, after that, he had to refrain from attending professional matches due to his injury. Nadal’s hip surgery didn’t let him perform for the last year lowering his rank to 276. Nevertheless, his fans were counting days for his recovery to see him unleash his magic. Given that Rafa also announced his retirement after this season, his attendance at any tennis tournament seems very special to his fans.

Nadal and the French Open tour are certainly two eternally linked phenomena. Why shouldn’t it be? Debuted in 2005, this Mallarcan played 115 matches in Rolland Garros, among which he proudly won 112 matches. Needless to say, Rafa’s track records on clay courts are the reason why fans are so desperate to watch him play in Paris.

Former Spaniard tennis player Alex Corretja’s statement reveals the exact emotion of fans, who can’t miss the chance to see their icon play in the French Open. Not just Rafa’s old colleague but the Serbian tennis legend Novak Djokovic also highlighted the Spaniard legend’s incredible performances on the French Open tour.

Novak Djokovic called Rafael Nadal “impenetrable” in Rolland Garros’s Philippe Chartier court

Not just Alex Corretja but Rafa’s biggest opponent and Serbian tennis legend Djokovic revealed what it is like to play against Nadal on the clay court. “It’s probably one of the biggest challenges you can have on the tennis tour, playing Rafa at Roland Garros, We know his record there and I’ve played him probably more than any other player has played him on that court”  said Djokovic.

The world’s number-one ATP star further mentioned how Nadal never lost a match at Paris’s iconic Philippe Chatrier Court. “The court is bigger, there’s more space, which affects visually the play a lot and the feeling of the player on the court and he likes to stand quite far back to return. So you have some times when he’s really in the zone and in the groove and not making many errors, you feel like he’s impenetrable, he’s like a wall. It’s really a paramount challenge to play him at Roland-Garros, he’s an incredible athlete”- said Djokovic.

Finally, the Serb mentioned his true emotions witnessing Rafa’s final Rolland Garros attempt. “The tenacity and intensity he brings on the court, particularly there, is something that was very rarely seen in the history of the sport. So I’m sure it’s going to be a very emotional tournament for him, as it was in Madrid and here, but there in particular because of all the records he has” said Djokovic.

Alex Corretja’s heartwarming message to watch Rafa shining on Rolland Garros screams the emotions of many tennis fans. Despite win or loss, it is an epic moment for all to see Rafa’s indomitable spirit on Paris’s clay court.