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French Open Tennis
FILE - Spain's Rafael Nadal waves as he leaves the court after losing against Germany's Alexander Zverev during their first round match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, May 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias, File)
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
HOWARD FENDRICH
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4 min read
PARIS (AP) — As the French Open enters a new, post-Rafa, era this year, there are a couple of prevailing sentiments among tennis players.
One is: It's a shame the world won't get to see the King of Clay, as Rafael Nadal came to be called, ply his unique brand of topspin-heavy relentlessness on the crushed red brick of Roland-Garros, where he won a record 14 of his 22 Grand Slam titles.