Rafael Nadal and his wife Maria all smiles in sweet family photo shared by sister Maribel after French Open tribute

Rafael Nadal’s sister Maribel shared a family photo after the tribute ceremony for the 14-time Roland Garros champion. The photo included family members, including Nadal’s wife Maria, as well as his grandmother.

Nadal received a glittering tribute ceremony at his most prolific performing ground. Since the Spaniard retired last year, this ceremony at Roland Garros was in the offing, and the event did not disappoint, from Nadal delivering an emotional speech to him being given a special trophy and a special plaque commemorating the Spaniard’s footprint on Philippe Chatrier.

The stadium was filled with people wearing specially made orange-colored shirts with “Merci Rafa” written on them. What took the event to another height was the presence of the trio of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Andy Murray, three of Nadal’s greatest opponents during his tennis career.

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After the event was over, Nadal and his family were seen posing for a family photograph. His sister, Maribel, shared the picture on Instagram, which was taken in front of a wall that encapsulated Nadal's 14 victories at Roland Garros, with pictures from each title-winning campaign.

Nadal had an astounding record of 112 wins and 4 losses, which resulted in 14 titles from 14 finals.

Rafael Nadal thanked his family for supporting him in his long career

Nadal, in his emotional speech at his tribute ceremony, thanked his wife, family members, and his uncle for supporting him in his two-decade-long career. The Spaniard thanked his wife Maria, stating that it was beyond their imagination where they would end eventually, twenty years later.

"I' ve lost a piece of paper I had prepared, but it's easy to fix. Mary, you're my best life partner. We couldn't have imagined in 2005 that we'd be here 20 years later as a family. I hope to make you as happy as you've made me." said Nadal

The 22-time Major champion thanked his uncle, Tony, who had been his coach for a long time. He gave significant credit for his legendary career to his uncle, expressing his deep gratitude.

"Toni, you're the reason I'm here," he said. "Training, talking, training, pushing myself to the limit. It hasn't always been easy, but it's been worth it. We're not big on expressing our feelings, but my gratitude for you is endless." said Nadal

The Spaniard thanked his parents and siblings for helping him learn important values in life and for treating him like a normal family member rather than a celebrity.

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SAGNIK DATTA

Sagnik, a Mass Communication and Journalism graduate, is a tennis journalist at Sportskeeda. Before finding his spot in the tennis writing team, he worked as a junior content specialist for academic content writing firms for a couple of years.

Before putting out any information in the public domain, Sagnik makes sure that every element of his content is well-researched and backed with credible data so that there is no misinterpretation of facts or quotes and ethical standards are maintained. To do so, Sagnik follows reputed websites like the Tennis Channel and Tennis TV, and renowned journalists on social media.

He is a fan of former player Roger Federer, and just like his favorite player, Sagnik likes to bring perfection to his write-ups by providing concise and on-point content. Speaking of the ‘GOAT’ debate, Sagnik believes that it is a bit unfair to compare the legends of the game from different eras who have played on different terms. But if he were to pick one, he’d go for Novak Djokovic based on his tally of 24 Grand Slam titles.

When not writing about tennis and technically analyzing the sport, which he believes are his 'forte', Sagnik indulges in reading books.

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