'It feels emotional because only me and the people who are close to me know exactly what we have been through on and off the court, and it has been everything except easy.'
The world No 1 said he will play the French Open and Wimbledon without a coach after splitting with Tony Roche.
It was then plain sailing for the Tuscan, who read his opponent's serve perfectly to break repeatedly and used his elegant single-handed backhand to perfection to set up a clash with wildcard Valentin Royer or lucky loser Daniel Elahi Galan.
IMAGES from the French Open played at Roland Garros, in Paris, France, on Sunday.
Nagal bows out of French Open qualifying
'I believe that tennis or every sport needs rivalries. This could be potentially one of them, but there are amazing players coming up.'
Aryna Sabalenka is the first woman to win back to back US Open singles titles since Serena Williams in 2014.
Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu are generating major excitement - not just for their upcoming mixed doubles debut at the US Open
A clash of nerves, brilliance, and next-gen firepower-Alcaraz showed once again he's made for the biggest stages. As the tennis world erupted, legends led the tributes.
Here is a quick glance of all the highs and lows from Nadal's stupendous career:
Alexander Zverev will be third seed for the French Open but the 28-year-old German's prospects of winning his first Grand Slam title in Paris are not looking especially bright.
Nadal will team up with newly-crowned French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz to play in the doubles at the Olympics.
Six-time champion Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from this year's Italian Open, organisers said on Tuesday.
French veteran Richard Gasquet was also among eight men given wild-card entries.
Fifth seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos bagged their maiden Grand Slam trophy as a pair by battling past British duo Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski in the French Open doubles final.
While off-court battles over pay and governance rumbled on, opportunities were scarce beyond the duopoly at the top of the men's game, leaving Djokovic to provide the year's standout moments for the chasing pack.
Iga Swiatek arrives at the US Open with her sights set on a seventh Grand Slam title and a potential return to World No. 1 to cap what she calls a remarkable year of redemption following "the worst experience of my life".
Novak Djokovic hit a barrage of drop shots to beat Alexander Zverev for a place in the French Open semi-finals on Wednesday.
Paul must overcome defending champion Alcaraz in the quarter-finals to keep his quest for a maiden Grand Slam title alive.
Nadal touch helps Paolini reach French Open third round
'Beautiful draw': Retiring Gasquet meets Sinner in French Open swansong
Djokovic, 38, is winless on clay this year after exiting the Monte Carlo Masters and Madrid Open with straight-sets losses last month, and his form is a concern heading into Roland Garros, which kicks off on Sunday.
Cameras captured heartwarming moments of Rafa Jr. cheering from the stands alongside Nadal's wife, Maria Francisca Perello.
Maria Sharapova was officially inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame on Saturday night in Newport
Olympic champion Zheng powers into French Open third round
Novak Djokovic said he is building up to hit top form for his French Open title defence.
Carlos Alcaraz fought back from the brink to outlast top seed Jannik Sinner 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-6(10-2) in a French Open final for the ages on Sunday to retain his crown and cement his status as the Prince of Clay in Roland Garros' post-Rafa Nadal era.
Novak Djokovic felt unaffected by his recent losses to the top two players in the world, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, saying that while it is not ideal to lose big matches to the top talent regularly
Madison Keys fought off a late challenge from fellow American Hailey Baptiste to book her spot in the French Open quarter-finals with a 6-3, 7-5 victory at Roland Garros on Monday.
Alexander Zverev's Grand Slam experience proved decisive as the German third seed defeated Briton Jacob Fearnley 6-4 6-4 6-4 in the U.S. Open second round on Thursday
Rafael Nadal confirmed he will miss this year's French Open as he is yet to recover from injury.
With two match wins in total in his last four Grand Slams, Tsitsipas has turned to the former coach of Novak Djokovic to turn his fortunes around.
Norway's Casper Ruud, the French Open runner-up in 2022 and 2023, crashed out of the tournament in the second round on Wednesday after losing 2-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-0 to unseeded Nuno Borges of Portugal.
Carlos Alcaraz will aim to reinforce his status as the new all-court monarch of men's tennis with a third successive Wimbledon title
Collins fired 32 winners and converted six of eight break points while Swiatek, who had won the tournament three times in the last four years, made 22 unforced errors.
The following are five contenders for the men's title at Wimbledon, which begins on Monday.
Images from Day 10 of the 2025 French Open at Roland Garros in Paris on Tuesday.
One man's despair was another man's ecstasy as the most inopportune of double faults propelled a world-beating Rafael Nadal into a nine-times French Open champion on Sunday.
Carlos Alcaraz won the Cincinnati Open after top seed Jannik Sinner retired while trailing 5-0 in the first set of their final on Monday.
Zverev and Rublev among dark horses for French Open
