Nadal Receives Replica Of Roland Garros Statue

On Thursday at the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar, Rafael Nadal received a replica of the sculpture that was unveiled at Roland Garros in May 2021.

Gilles Moretton, President of the French Tennis Federation, and Amelie Mauresmo, Director of Roland Garros, travelled to Spain to present the replica to Rafa in person.

The replica (1/10 scale of the original piece) has been given a special location in the Rafa Nadal Museum, which houses all the trophies Rafa has won throughout his career.

Nadal said, ”Roland Garros is the most important place in my career and I’m very happy to have that statue there. Being able to have this replica here, in my home town, at the Museum and in a place that is so close to me, for my family and for my team makes it even more special. I’m very grateful to everyone who has made it possible and it is now here, alongside my trophies, so that everyone can come and see it.”

Mauresmo said, “The values and the spirit at the Rafa Nadal Academy are exactly what Rafa as a person is: Humble, well educated and a hard worker. Those are among the values that makes him what he is as a player and as a human being. The players we saw at the academy are in very good hands and on a personal level, I am very happy to have had the chance to share these special moment with Rafa himself.”

Moretton said, “Since many years, Roland Garros and Rafa Nadal live a privileged and special relationship and we found here at the Academy what he is, with his values. We always had very constructive and friendly discussions with Rafa to make tennis bigger, and it’s an honor to have him as an ambassador of the game. Rafa Nadal and Roland Garros have become something inseparable.”

Mauresmo and Moreton also had an opportunity to visit the facilities at the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar and get a close look at the daily work of the children taking their tennis and academic studies at the high-performance centre and, of course, they enjoyed a meal at the “Roland Garros” Restaurant, an eatery within the academy whose ambiance is inspired by the French Grand Slam and whose decoration includes photos of some of the biggest names in the history of the tournament, such as Steffi Graf, Chris Evert, Bjorn Borg and Rafa Nadal.

Starting today, any tennis fan can now enjoy this work of art by visiting the museum in Manacor.