What is the French Open without Rafael Nadal? - ESPN

Watching Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros is a bucket list experience. The fans in the stands of Court Philippe-Chatrier erupt as he walks out. It's his stage.

For so long, he's had the place in the palm of his hand, with his unbelievable record of 112 wins (the most by any men's player at a single major in the Open Era) and 14 of the past 18 French Open titles. With that comes the accustomed staples of the Nadal experience in Paris: the trumpet fanfare welcoming him to the showcase court, the waving of Spanish flags in the stands and the endless renditions of «Bella Ciao.»

This year, the drums will still beat, Nadal T-shirts and caps will be worn and memories regaled, but the key protagonist will be absent after pulling out on May 18.

Roland Garros has been his second home. Alongside his 97% winning record at the tournament, Nadal has a host of other incredible statistics from that patch of Paris. He won 90 of those 112 victories in straight sets and took the 2008, 2010, 2017 and 2020 titles without dropping a single one. He has 27 more wins there than Novak Djokovic and 39 more than Roger Federer.

Even those he defeats hold the experiences close.

«I can hopefully one day tell my grandkids that I played Rafa on Chatrier in the final, and they will probably say, 'Wow, did you?'» said Casper Ruud after losing last year's singles final to Nadal in straight sets. «I will say 'Yes.'»

It's going to feel a little empty seeing this tournament play out — a Roland Garros without Nadal lacks the familiar reference point for both aficionados and casual viewers. «I never want him to stop,» Billie Jean King said of Nadal in Paris last year.

The place has already felt the impending exit. On the day of last year's final against Ruud,