Rafael Nadal, the king of Parisian clay, now has a statue in his effigy at Roland Garros.
The stainless steel work of Spanish artist Jordi Díez Fernandez is three meters high and welcomes visitors near the Philippe-Chatrier court, where Nadal has won 13 titles.
The Spanish champion will celebrate his 35th birthday on June 3 during the tournament where he is again the big favorite to clinch a 14th title and thus bring to 21 the record of Grand Slam titles won by a single player.
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“I want to thank the French Tennis Federation and Roland-Garros for wanting to put a statue of me in such an important place in sport. Also thank the current president, and the previous one for promoting this idea. Thank you for affection and support. Here I feel at home. I thank all the people who work at Roland Garros, who make me feel happy there, that I feel one of them, and that when I arrive here, I feel a particular joy ”, a commented the champion.