French Open organisers have confirmed that Rafael Nadal will be honoured with a special on-court ceremony at this year’s tournament. The Spaniard retired from professional tennis in November at the Davis Cup Finals and has made limited appearances at tennis events since.

Nadal turned down the opportunity for a tribute at last year’s French Open, when he lost to No. 4 seed Alexander Zverev in the first round. But he will return this year for a special presentation, celebrating his historic 14 titles on the Parisian clay. Two other players are also set to receive honours.

After reports that Nadal will return to the French Open for a tribute, tournament director Amelie Mauresmo has now announced a date for the ceremony during a pre-tournament press conference.

The Roland Garros social media accounts shared updates from Mauresmo’s presser, confirming that the ‘King of Clay’ will be honoured on day one of the tournament.

“A ceremony will be held on Sunday, May 25 on Court Philippe-Chatrier, after the three matches of the day session,” they tweeted on Thursday.

Court Philippe-Chartier has been the most important and successful stage of Nadal’s career, as he won 14 of his 22 Major titles there.

The former world No. 1 made his final appearance at the tournament last year, losing in the first round. At the time, Mauresmo confirmed that they had a ceremony ready to go after the match but had to cancel at Nadal’s request, as the Spaniard was still uncertain on his retirement plans.

“As you can imagine, we had something planned for him,” Mauresmo said last year.

“But he told us that because he doesn’t know if this is not going to be his last Roland Garros or not he wants to leave the door open for him to come back next year.”

Nadal also returned to the venue in July for the 2024 Olympic Games, losing to Novak Djokovic in the second round of the singles event. He also teamed up with Carlos Alcaraz in doubles, and they lost in the quarter-final.

In October last year, having not played a match since the Olympics, Nadal announced his plans to retire at the Davis Cup Finals. He played the Six Kings Slam exhibition in Saudi Arabia before ending his career in November with a defeat in Spain’s quarter-final tie.

Nadal received a brief on-court ceremony as he retired at the Davis Cup, but many slammed the presentation for not being enough. His uncle Toni said it was “scruffy and shabby” while even Djokovic admitted it “wasn’t done properly”.

But the 22-time Grand Slam champion will finally have an opportunity to receive his flowers at the French Open next month. And he’s not the only player who will receive a tribute during the tournament.

Former world No. 7 Richard Gasquet will retire at his home Grand Slam, and French Open bosses have prepared something for after his final match.

Retired home favourite Mary Pierce will also enjoy a celebration of the 25th anniversary of her Roland Garros title, as well as her induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.