No one can deny that, with 14 Roland Garros under his belt, Nadal is part of the history of Parisian sport.

It was 2015 when Rafa Nadal received from the hands of the mayor of Paris , Anne Hidalgo, the highest distinction awarded by the French capital : the ‘Grand Vermeil’ medal. The mayor, of Spanish descent, defined Rafa at the time as “the most Parisian of the Mallorcans”, and added that he had marked and would continue to mark the history of Paris and Roland Garros. She was not wrong since, years later, the Spanish athlete treasures in his showcases no less than 14 Roland Garros titles , being the tennis player with the most titles won on the Parisian clay .

It was therefore fitting that Nadal had a privileged place in the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and he did. Once the torch began its final journey towards the Olympic cauldron , Zinedine Zidane handed over the torch to the Spaniard, sparking excitement among many of those present and the millions of viewers watching the ceremony on television.

Rafa Nadal receiving the Olympic torch from Zinedine Zidane. (EFE)

After receiving the Olympic flame, Rafa Nadal headed to the River Seine where a boat was waiting for him and, together with other historic legends of the Olympics such as Serena Williams (4 Olympic golds), Carl Lewis (9 golds and 1 silver) and Nadia Comaneci (5 golds, 3 silvers and 1 bronze), they undertook the last journey across the mythical Parisian river to pass the torch on its final journey on foot to the cauldron.

The cauldron was one of the last surprises that the organisers had in store . To the surprise of many, this year’s event consisted of a seven-metre ring hanging from a 30-metre diameter hot-air balloon in the Tuileries Gardens in Paris, which was lifted into the French sky by the Olympic flame. This type of cauldron had never been seen before in the history of the Olympic Games and was a further step forward in the originality of the opening ceremonies .

Rafa Nadal and other Olympic legends cross the River Seine with the Olympic flame. (Reuters)

These will most likely be the last Olympic Games for the Mallorcan , who hopes to say goodbye to the city that has given him such good memories and achievements by winning an Olympic medal . His partner in the doubles competition is Carlos Alcaraz, curiously the last winner of Roland Garros and the designated successor to the tennis player from Manacor.

The pair to beat in the first match for the Spaniards was the tandem formed by the Argentines Máximo González and Andrés Molteni, a match that generated a lot of expectation among tennis fans and sports fans in general, since, surely, we will have the only opportunity to see Nadal and Alcaraz compete together side by side at these Olympic Games. The pair has been baptized with the name ‘Nadalcaraz’ .

The Majorcan and Murcian tennis players in training prior to the doubles match against Argentina. (EFE/Kiko Huesca)

Rafa Nadal was accompanied in the stands by five exceptional spectators: his mother Ana María Parera, his wife Xisca Perelló and his son Rafael, almost two years old, as well as the daughters of the King and Queen of Spain, Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía. They were all able to see Spain’s victory in a tough match that lasted 1 hour and 47 minutes and in which Rafa’s mastery and experience stood out, thus continuing to grow his legend .