Few athletes receive the honour of having a statue built for them at the end of their careers. Even fewer see their achievements recognised while they are still playing. Yet at Roland Garros, a 10ft steel sculpture of Rafael Nadal has stood at its gates since 2021, the great Spaniard locked in a position of typical intensity as he launches himself into a ferocious forehand. Nadal’s statue stands alongside the “Four Musketeers” of French tennis, Jean Borotra, Jacques Brugnon, Henri Cochet and Rene Lacoste, the men who, between them, swept Roland Garros between 1924 and 1932. As a result, the trophy awarded to the men’s singles champion at the French Open is called the Coupe des Mousquetaires.
It is the Spaniard, though, who will leave behind an even greater impact at Roland Garros, with Nadal lifting the Coupe des Mousquetaires a record 14 times. Since first arriving in Paris, the kid from Mallorca in his baggy shorts and sleeveless tees, Nadal has obliterated records and dominated the French Open in a manner that has transcended the sport. The “King of Clay” won his first title as a 19-year-old in 2005 and won his 14th as a 36-year-old in 2022, a lifetime of triumph. In total, Nadal played 116 matches in the French Open at Roland Garros, winning 112 and losing just four. A win percentage of 97 per cent is the highest of any player at a grand slam, unmatched in tennis history.
