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Roland Garros will officially wave goodbye to its favourite son, Rafael Nadal, during a ceremony at this year’s tournament, but will any high-profile tennis figures attend the tribute?

King of Clay Nadal – who won a record 14 majors in Paris – made the last of his 19 main draw appearances at the French Open last year and he was handed a plum opening match against Alexander Zverev as he used his protected ranking to enter the tournament.

The Spaniard was beaten in straight sets by the fourth seed and later in the year he announced his retirement from tennis with his last professional event the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga.

What Happened In Malaga?

A big ceremony was planned for later in the tournament and the likes of Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray had indicated they would attend

But Spain were stunned in the quarter-finals by the Netherlands with Nadal losing his last-ever singles match in straight sets against Botic van de Zandschulp.

After Carlos Alcaraz and Marcel Granollers lost their doubles encounter against Van de Zandschulp and Wesley Koolhof, organisers were forced to do an on-court ceremony immediately after the match, which was on a Tuesday.

Federer, Djokovic and Murray were only expected to fly in over the weekend as many believed Spain would reach the final, but it meant they were not present for the ceremony.

Criticism For “Shabby Farewell”

Nadal’s family, closest friends, his coaching team and the rest of Spain’s Davis Cup squad were in attendance in Malaga last November.

But while the tennis great didn’t comment about the ceremony, others were unimpressed as his former coach and uncle Toni Nadal stated: “I’m not trying to criticise anyone. I would have preferred something different, more in line with his career.”

His long-term coach Carlos Moya said: “The feeling we are all left with is a bit scruffy and shabby. It’s true that it’s a Tuesday night, but this is sport and we knew months in advance that if Spain lost, Rafa would retire. Nadal is far above all this.”

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Spain’s Davis Cup captain David Ferrer said: “The farewell to someone as important as Rafa was watered down; very important people in his career were missing, as well as people who have been so important at the level of his rivals and his team. I missed those people.”

Second Farewell Date

Nadal didn’t want a farewell at Roland Garros in 2024 as he hadn’t quite confirmed his retirement at that stage, but he will be honoured at the 2025 tournament.

Organisers have revealed the ceremony is set for the opening day, Sunday, May 25, with events set to get underway after the day’s play on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

Nadal himself doesn’t want a big bash and tournament director Amelie Mauresmo told TNT Sports: “We want to honour Rafa and make sure that we celebrate him in the right way.

“Winning 14 times here is such a special memory for him, such a special relationship between the tournament and Rafa.

“He also wants something simple, authentic, and true, just like he is. So we try to fit that order, let’s say.”

Federer, Djokovic & Murray To Attend?

So far, there has been no official confirmation from the three former world No 1s that they will be on Court Philippe-Chatrier to attend the ceremony.

Djokovic, of course, will be in Paris as he will take part in the French Open, but it remains to be seen if Federer and Murray – who recently parted ways with Djokovic after a six-month stint as his coach – will fly to the French capital.

Current stars Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek, who have been big fans of Nadal since their childhoods, will also be competing at Roland Garros and could be in attendance.

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Emma Raducanu continued her impressive form on clay as she brushed world No 17 Daria Kasatkina aside in the first round in Strasbourg and it gave her big boost in the battle to reclaim the British No 1 ranking.

Fresh from a run to the fourth round of the Italian Open, Raducanu followed it up with 6-1, 6-3 victory over a player who is 26 places above her in the WTA Rankings.

Having moved up six places to No 43 with her last-16 run in Rome, the 22-year-old is now on the cusp of a return to inside the top 30 as she climbed another two places in the Live Rankings to No 41 after the win over the sixth seed.

And there is an opportunity to move even higher as the Strasbourg event is a WTA 500 tournament so a lot of points are on offer.

Raducanu doesn’t have any points to defend at the French event and she is guaranteed to earn 60 points for reaching the second round, which puts her on 1,319 points after the Kasatkina win.

Up next is a much tougher assignment as she faces Danielle Collins, but if she gets past the American and reaches the quarter-final she will move to 1,367 points, which is not good enough for another move up the rankings as Elina Avanesyan is ahead of her on 1,380 points.

Only a run to the semi-final is good for another boost as she would earn 195 points in total and that would put her on 1,454.

Battle To Be British No 1

Does that mean she moves ahead of Katie Boulter and takes over as British No 1?

Not yet as Boulter is currently at No 38 on 1,456 with her decision to play in the WTA 125K Trophee Clarins proving to be a smart move.

After a disappointing first-round defeat at the Italian Open, Boulter dropped down a level and won the title in Paris – her first trophy on clay – to collect 125 ranking points, which helped her to move up two places.

But she is not in action this week as she has already switched focus to the French Open.

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Boulter, though, remains favourite to be the British No 1 at Roland Garros as Raducanu can only overtake her if she reaches the final. Finishing runner-up (325 points) or winning the title (500 points) would see her surpass her fellow Brit.

But there is a third name in the race to be the top British woman after the clay-court Grand Slam as Sonay Kartal is now part of the conversation.

Kartal moved up three places in the rankings to No 53 on Monday and it will be a shootout between the trio with the player who goes furthest in Paris likely to be the British No 1 after the tournament.

The 23-year-old Kartal – who started the year at No 87 – does have a big disadvantage as she sits on 1,055 points.

There is good news for the three British players as they don’t have points to defend at Roland Garros as Raducanu and Kartal didn’t feature last year and Boulter lost in the first round.

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Emma Raducanu continued her resurgent form with a dominant straight-set win over Daria Kasatkina in Strasbourg.

The 2021 US Open champion claimed an impressive 6-1, 6-3 victory against world No 17 Kasatkina in the opening round of the clay-court WTA 500 event.

Raducanu entered the match with a 0-3 record against Kasatkina and she had not previously won a set against the 28-year-old Russian-born Australian star.

The 22-year-old broke Kasatkina four times as she stormed to win a one-sided first set in under half an hour.

After Raducanu held in the opening game of the second set, there were six consecutive breaks of serve before the Brit converted her fourth match point to serve out for a convincing win.

While Raducanu lost serve four times, she broke in all eight of her opponent’s service games.

Raducanu, who started the week as the world No 43, is up two places to 41st with the 60 points earned for her first round win in Strasbourg.

The former world No 10 could return to the top 40 if she reaches the quarter-finals of the 500 tournament.

After her win, Raducanu said: “I feel like I’ve been building towards this. It’s a great feeling.

“I had three great matches in Rome and the fourth I played an opponent who was better than me on the day. To bring that level here, I’m really proud.

“I think as I spend more time on clay I’m starting to get to like it even more. I’m kind of building my relationship with the surface.”

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Raducanu will face 46th-ranked Danielle Collins in the second round.

Collins defeated fellow American Sofia Kenin 6-1, 1-6, 6-2 in her opener.

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Former world No 1 Andy Roddick has given his verdict on Carlos Alcaraz’s victory against Jannik Sinner in the 2025 Italian Open final.

Alcaraz secured his first Rome Masters title as he delivered a stellar performance to defeat Sinner 7-6(5), 6-1 in the championship match.

The world No 2 has won four consecutive matches against Sinner and holds a 7-4 head-to-head advantage over his Italian rival.

The 22-year-old Spanish star has now collected all three clay-court Masters 1000 titles, and he has strengthened his favourite status ahead of his French Open title defence.

Speaking on Tennis Channel, Roddick assessed that both Alcaraz and Sinner would be happy with their Italian Open campaigns.

The American said: “Yeah, listen at the beginning of the week, if you had said to Carlos, ‘Hey you’re gonna win this tournament, take out Sinner,’ that’s a 12 out of 10, right?”

“If you had told Sinner, ‘You’re actually gonna play great tennis, you’re gonna beat Casper Ruud 0 and 1, and then lose to Carlos,’ listen, he would’ve taken that 10 out of 10 times.

“So this is what needed to happen for both of them. It was the perfect preparation. And Carlos, just flashing all the variety, the threat of the options that he has seemingly keep Sinner off-beat.

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“Sinner knows what’s coming, he’s gonna beat you. If he doesn’t know what’s coming, then you got a shot like Alcaraz.”

Asked what Sinner needs to do to change the dynamic of the matchup with Alcaraz, Roddick identified the Italian’s returning and second serve as areas for improvement.

“I think the biggest thing today was return position and as effective as he is, sticking that return, especially on second serves, that was missing a little bit today,” said the 2003 US Open winner.

“And I think he actually pushed the risk towards the sidelines a ton and it’s kind of a tough one, because you know you have to take a little more risk against Carlos because of his wheels, but also not to the detriment of making unforced errors on a high forehand.

“But, he has to defend the second serve a little bit better, whatever that looks like – if it’s switching line on that first ball a little bit more often so Carlos can’t be as creative.

“And also, I think he would’ve wanted to stick more second serve returns today, which normally is something that he does very well.”

READ NEXT: Points and money earned by Alcaraz, Sinner, Draper, Musetti, Zverev at Italian Open

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The Italian Open produced a major shock with defending champion Iga Swiatek losing early and it has had a major impact on her position in the WTA Rankings.

Jasmine Paolini was the big winner in Rome as she delighted fans by becoming only the second Italian woman to win the tournament in the Open Era.

Having earned 990 points (she dropped 10 points from 2024), Paolini received a big boost in the rankings as she moved up one place to No 4 while beaten finalist Coco Gauff returned to No 2.

After back-to-back runners-up finishes as she lost the Madrid Open final against Aryna Sabalenka, Gauff is back at No 2 for the first time since August last year.

Sabalenka still leads the rankings by a comfortable margin despite her quarter-final loss to Zheng Qinwen as the three-time Grand Slam winner has a mammoth 3,820-point advantage over Gauff with Jessica Pegula another 620 points adrift in third place after she climbed one spot after the latest WTA 1000 event.

Sabalenka has now spent 39 weeks at No 1, putting her joint 14th with Amelie Mauresmo for most weeks at No 1 in the all-time list with Victoria Azarenka in 13th on 51 weeks.

But the biggest top-10 ranking story was undoubtedly Swiatek following her third-round defeat to Danielle Collins.

The five-time Grand Slam winner dropped 935 points and slipped three places to No 5 in the rankings, her lowest position since March 2022 when she was No 8. It means she will be seeded fifth for her title defence at Roland Garros next week and could face several big-name players early on.

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Mirra Andreeva is back at No 6 as she moved up one place after reaching the quarter-final in Rome while Madison Keys drops one spot.

There were minimal changes in the rest of the top 20, but Jelena Ostapenko has dropped three places to No 21 after her fourth-round exit.

Peyton Stearns reached her maiden WTA 1000 semi-final before losing against Paolini and her reward is a 14-place surge to a career-high No 28.

Katie Boulter lost in the first round of the Italian Open, but then signed up for the WTA 125K in Paris and won the tournament, leading to a two-place rise to No 38.

The end result is a five-place gap between Boulter and Emma Raducanu in the race for the British No 1 position despite the latter climbing six places to No 43 after reaching the fourth round in Rome.

Collins slipped 11 places to No 46 as she followed up last year’s semi-final with a fourth-round loss in 2025.

Rising star Alex Eala lost in the first round, but she moves up one spot to No 69 due to movement around her while Hailey Batpsite was the biggest jumper as she is up 20 places to No 70 after coming through qualifying to reach the third round.

Victoria Azarenka was the biggest faller in the top 100 as the former world No 1 dropped 19 places to No 73 as she lost in the first round.

WTA Rankings Top 20

1. Aryna Sabalenka – 10,683 points
2. Coco Gauff United States – 6,863
3. Jessica Pegula United States – 6,243
4. Jasmine Paolini Italy – 5,865
5. Iga Swiatek Poland – 5,838
6. Mirra Andreeva – 4,986
7. Madison Keys United States – 4,674
8. Zheng Qinwen China – 4,368
9. Emma Navarro United States – 3,831
10. Paula Badosa Spain – 3,641
11. Diana Shnaider – 3,108
12. Elena Rybakina Kazakhstan – 3,048
13. Elina Svitolina Ukraine – 2,905
14. Karolina Muchova Czech Republic – 2,854
15. Barbora Krejcikova Czech Republic – 2,664
16. Amanda Anisimova United States – 2,634
17. Daria Kasatkina Australia – 2,631
18. Donna Vekic Croatia – 2,226
19. Luidmila Samsonova – 2,150
20. Ekaterina Alexandrova – 2,148

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Carlos Alcaraz produced a masterclass to deny Jannik Sinner a fairytale ending at the Italian Open and the Spaniard was well rewarded in terms of ranking points and prize money.

After a tight opening set in the Rome finale, Alcaraz stepped it up and overwhelmed the local hero to claim a 7-6 (7-5), 6-1 victory and lift his first trophy at Foro Italico.

With the win, the 22-year-old took his ATP Masters 1000 title tally to seven while he has now won 19 ATP Tour singles tournaments, including four Grand Slams.

“I’m just really happy to get my first Rome [title], hopefully it’s not going to be the last one,” the world No 2 said.

Alcaraz added: “I’m proud of myself, with the way I approached the match mentally. Tactically, I think I played pretty well from the first point until the last one. I didn’t do a rollercoaster… I maintained my good level throughout the whole match, so I’m really proud about everything I did today.”

So how many points and how much money did the two finalists earn? What about those who lost earlier in the tournament?

ATP Points Earned In Rome

ATP Masters 1000 title winners earn 1,000 points, but as with all tournaments they have to defend their points from the previous year at the same tournament/during the same timeframe.

Alcaraz, though, didn’t play in 2024 as he was injured so he leaves with the full complement of 1,000 points and moves to 8,850 ranking points.

Like Alcaraz, Sinner – who was playing in his first tournament since completing his three-month doping ban – also didn’t compete last year so he added 650 points to his tally in the ATP Rankings.

Semi-finalists earn 400 points and Lorenzo Musetti and Tommy Paul and the former was defending 90 points from an ATP Challenger Tour event in 2024 and went home with 310 points while Paul added zero points as he lost at the same stage last year.

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Casper Ruud, Hubert Hurkacz, Jack Draper and Alexander Zverev were the semi-finalists with 200 points on offer and Ruud (190) and Draper (170) were winners.

Hurkacz also lost in the quarter-final a year ago while Zverev was the biggest loser in terms of points as he was the defending champion and was -800.

And spare a thought for 2024 runner-up Nicolas Jarry as he lost in the second round and dropped 620 points, resulting in a 97-place drop in the rankings to No 150.

Six-time Rome champion Novak Djokovic didn’t compete in 2025, but he dropped 50 points from last year.

Prize Money Earned In Rome

Alcaraz went home with a cheque of €985,030 (roughly $1,1m) for his efforts the past fortnight in Rome and his earnings for the year are now just under $4m while he has sits on $41m in career prize money earnings.

Runner-up Sinner is €523,870 ($597,548) richer and he has moved to $40m in earnings over his very short career, putting him ninth on the all-time list.

Paul and Musetti were handed cheques of €291,040 ($331,972) while quarter-finalists Ruud, Hurkacz, Draper and Zverev received €165,670 ($188,970).

Lucky loser Jesper de Jong reached the third round and €52,925 ($60,368) to go with his 50 ranking points and his career earnings are $1,094,830.

The 20-year-old Vilius Gaubas came through qualifying and also reached the third round, resulting in his biggest pay day as his total earnings climbed to $284,853.

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Jannik Sinner lauded Carlos Alcaraz’s clay-court prowess after his defeat to the Spanish star in the championship match at the 2025 Italian Open.

Alcaraz claimed a convincing 7-6(5), 6-1 win over Sinner in Rome in the latest installment in the pair’s captivating rivalry.

With his third title of the season, Alcaraz improved his clay record in 2025 to an outstanding 15-1 after he won the Monte Carlo Masters and finished as a runner-up in Barcelona. He missed the Madrid Masters due to injury.

Alcaraz, who is the reigning French Open champion, has strengthen his status as the favourite to triumph at Roland Garros this year.

Sinner, meanwhile, was playing just his second tournament of the year and his first since defending his Australian Open crown in January. The world No 1 was unable to compete between February 9 and May 4 due to a ban for failing two doping tests in March 2024.

The Italian’s loss to Alcaraz snapped his 26-match winning streak stretching back to October 2024.

Here is a summary of what Alcaraz and Sinner said in their speeches during trophy presentation in Rome.

Jannik Sinner

“Carlos, well done to you and your team. You will definitely be the favourite when we get to Paris. You are the strongest player on clay. Congratulations to you and good luck for the rest of the season.

“I’d like to thank my team. There have been a few months that weren’t easy. It’s been a great result just to be here in the final. We trained a lot. We can be proud of the results we achieved. We didn’t win the final but we are happy with this trophy. It’s been a great success since we came here.

“[Jasmine] Paolini won singles and doubles with [Sara] Errani. Lorenzo [Musetti] and I did our part on the men’s side. Italians, we hope you’re happy with this tournament.

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“Special thank you to my brother who, rather than being here, is in Imola watching Formula 1 (laughs).

“Thanks to all the people who came to this tournament. You gave me a lot of energy and encouragement. I tried today but that’s all I had. It was a good test. Thanks to everyone.”

Carlos Alcaraz

“You’ve been out from the tour for three months. I can’t imagine how tough and difficult it was for you, your family, your team… and coming back to tour here at your home, a really special tournament for you, I know it.

“Making such a great performance the whole tournament, making the tournament here… I have to congratulate you because it’s amazing what you’ve done with your team.

“I’m not gonna get tired of saying how much of an amazing person and athlete you are. You’re working really hard every day to make this possible, making your people proud. It is amazing so congratulations to you, your family and your team.”

READ NEXT: What Carlos Alcaraz said about Novak Djokovic playing until the 2028 Olympics

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Carlos Alcaraz delivered a stunning performance to earn a statement victory over Jannik Sinner in the final of the 2025 Italian Open.

The Spanish star prevailed 7-6(5), 6-1 against world No 1 Sinner on Centre Court at the Foro Italico to claim his maiden title in Rome.

In a fiercely contested and serve-dominated opening set, Alcaraz saved two set points serving at 5-6, 15-40 to force a tiebreak.

Alcaraz took control of the tiebreak by racing to a 3-0 lead after hitting consecutive aces and he converted his second chance to win the set with a perfectly constructed point.

The tiebreak proved critical as Alcaraz dominated the second set as he broke a fading Sinner twice en route to sealing a resounding win.

With his triumph, Alcaraz ended Sinner’s 26-match winning streak. The Italian had not lost since his defeat to Alcaraz in the 2024 China Open final in October.

The four-time Grand Slam champion has now won four straight matches against Sinner and leads the head-to-head 7-4.

Sinner’s run to the Rome final was an impressive effort in his first tournament since he won his third major at the Australian Open in January. The 23-year-old was sidelined by a three-month suspension for failed doping tests.

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Alcaraz will climb above Alexander Zverev into the world No 2 position when the ATP Rankings update next week.

Having already won the French Open and the Masters events in Monte Carlo and Madrid, Alcaraz’s Italian Open crown means he has now secured every big title available on clay.

The 22-year-old has become just the fifth player to win three different Masters 1000 tournaments on clay courts, joining Marcelo Rios, Gustavo Kuerten, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

Rios and Kuerten both collected titles in Monte Carlo, Rome and Hamburg — the latter of which was a clay-court Masters tournament before Madrid switched to clay in 2009.

Nadal secured clay Masters titles in Monte Carlo, Madrid, Rome and Hamburg, while Djokovic has won each of the three current Masters events played on the surface.

Alcaraz is also the fifth-youngest player to win 10 ATP Tour titles on clay after Mats Wilander, Nadal, Kent Carlsson and Bjorn Borg

The Spaniard has claimed 19 titles overall, and his Rome win added to an excellent 2025 clay campaign in which he had already triumphed in Monte Carlo and reached the Barcelona Open final.

READ NEXT: 2025 French Open: Dates and draw as Sinner and Sabalenka lead event ahead of Alcaraz and Swiatek

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Carlos Alcaraz has shared his thoughts on the prospect of Novak Djokovic competing until the 2028 Olympics Games.

Djokovic defeated Alcaraz 7-6(3), 7-6(2) in a thrilling and high-level gold medal match at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

The Serbian revealed after that historic triumph that he wanted to defend his Olympic title at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

Earlier this month, Lacoste CEO Thierry Guibert reaffirmed this sentiment by proclaiming that Djokovic intends to play “at least” until the next Olympics.

Djokovic, who will turn 38 on May 22, will be 41 at the 2028 Olympics.

After reaching the final of the 2025 Italian Open, Alcaraz was asked about Djokovic’s Olympic goal.

“Well, I mean, his body is feeling like he’s 25 years old. It is crazy how he maintain the good level going into the matches. The level is another thing,” the 22-year-old Spaniard said.

“He can struggle, or he’s been struggling in terms of level. But I think physically he’s in a really good shape. Is depend on him. I’m pretty sure if his goal is to play another Olympic Games, I think he’s able to do it.

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“Of course, I think he take care a lot of his body, of everything just to be at his hundred percent. If he’s got that, he can do it for sure.

“I could be more than happy to see him more years on tour playing, sharing good moments, sharing good tournaments with him. I could be more than happy if that happens.”

The four-time Grand Slam champion also addressed the evolution of his game and the importance of being solid when required.

“Yeah, I mean, sometimes is difficult because sometimes when I see the ball coming, a lot of things come to my mind,” Alcaraz explained. “Sometimes is difficult to choose the right decision.

“But I’m trying to improve that part of my game, as well, trying not to think too much and do the right things always, even though if it is not the brilliant shot or the brilliant decision.

“Depends on the day, as well. Days like today with a lot of wind, it’s always difficult to hit the ball clear. You have to go to the smart decision just trying to be patient, trying to wait your chances.

“If the points or the rally goes to 10, 12, 13 shots, you have to be ready for that battle. You have to be ready for that and try to wait until you can go aggressively. Sometimes is difficult, but I think today I did it pretty well.”

READ NEXT: Carlos Alcaraz has been set ‘absurd’ Grand Slam targets claims former British No 1

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Jannik Sinner’s rivals have been warned “he wants to eat everyone alive” with Justine Henin stating his form could be good news or bad news for the rest of the ATP Tour.

The naysayers who thought the world No 1 would struggle with match fitness following his three-month ban have been proved wrong as Sinner has been in imperious form at the Italian Open.

After winning the Australian Open final against Alexander Zverev on January 26, the three-time Grand Slam winner was sidelined from February 9 until May 4 as he was suspended following his two positive tests for the banned substance Clostebol.

The 23-year-old missed several big events- including the Indian Wells Open, Miami Open, Monte Carlo Masters and Madrid Open – giving the rest of the Tour hope he would be sluggish upon his return.

But Sinner returned with a bang as he defeated Mariano Navone, Jesper de Jong, Francisco Cerúndolo and Casper Ruud in straight sets to reach the semi-finals in Rome.

He produced one of his most dominant displays against Ruud – fresh from winning the Madrid Open – as he demolished the sixth seed 6-0, 6-1 before dropping his first set in the last four against Tommy Paul.

The American won the opening set 6-1, but Sinner bounced back to win 1-6, 6-0, 6-3 to reach his eight consecutive final. He is now unbeaten in his last 26 matches and former world No 1 Henin fears for the Italian’s rivals.

“He’s clearly worked incredibly hard physically in recent weeks. He’s coming in so fresh,” the seven-time Grand Slam winner told TNT Sport.

“What’s incredible is finding his bearings so quickly and in this way. He’s picking up on everything. He’s picked up on all the signals, everything he could improve on, with great intelligence, since his first match in Rome.

“The message he’s sending is that he wants to eat everyone alive. It’s going to do everyone good… or it’s going to scare everyone.”

Sinner will face Alcaraz in the final and their Spaniard leads their head-to-head rivalry 6-4, having won their last three meetings, including the 2024 China Open final last October.

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It’s the final everyone wants to see and Sinner feels it will be a good test for him.

“We know each other quite well now. It’s always special to share the court with him. I feel like we both know how to play against each other a little bit, so we have to be prepared tactically. Of course, small things are going to be changed. This, yes,” he said.

“But it’s just a great test for me to see where I am. It’s great for me to play against Carlos before the two Grand Slams. That for me is good because I see where I have to improve, what I have to do better.

“Hopefully it’s going to be a good match. I feel like this is the most important part. Yeah, but in any case what’s coming out Sunday, a great tournament from my side, making such a run here, it feels good.”

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