Nadal is known as The King of Clay for a reason: 14 of his 22 major titles came at Roland-Garros. The Spaniard won his first French Open in 2005, just days after his 19th birthday, before going on an unprecedented run at the tournament over the following two decades. Nadal won his final French Open in 2022, days after turning 36.

Roland Garros opened with tears, chants and a sea of brick-red T-shirts reading 'Merci Rafa' as the French Open paid an emotional tribute on Sunday to Rafael Nadal, the man who conquered its courts like no other.

In the first French Open since Rafael Nadal’s retirement, Carlos Alcaraz is a strong favorite to defend his title in Paris as Spanish great Carlos Moyá tells CNN Sports.

The second of tennis' Grand Slam events gets underway on May 25 with the start of the French Open. The clay-court tournament is one where a slower surface speed puts an emphasis on the ability to win extended rallies and play off the baseline rather than relying on a dominant serve.

Roland Garros opened with tears, chants and a sea of brick-red T-shirts reading 'Merci Rafa' as the French Open paid an emotional tribute on Sunday to Rafael Nadal, the man who conquered its courts like no other.

Follow live text and BBC 5 live radio commentary from the French Open at Roland-Garros, the second Grand Slam tournament of the year.