With Rafael Nadal announcing his retirement from professional tennis, the sport will never be the same. Supporters will miss his presence at almost every tournament. However, his absence will be felt most at Roland Garros, where fans will no longer hear his iconic entrance announcement again.
The voice of Roland Garros’ announcer Marc Maury calling out Rafa’s name at the tournament is etched in the hearts of all tennis fans. Although it will not happen again at the Philippe-Chatrier court, Maury recited it one last time on a TV show to honor the 14-time French Open Champion.
The announcement has always been iconic, as Maury, in French, highlights all the significant titles the Spaniard has won before listing each of his fourteen French Open victories. He then concludes by reciting Nadal’s achievements for the country, before uniquely announcing his name.
After hearing Rafa Nadal’s retirement news, Marc Maury, who does the player entrances for Roland Garros, announces Rafa one last time:
“RAFAAAEEEEEL… NADAAAAAAAAAL!”
The fact we will never hear this sound again at Roland Garros is so sad.
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) October 10, 2024
Realizing they would never hear this name again at the Roland Garros left fans emotional.
The most iconic part is arguably him reciting the years he won it. One by one. All 14 of them.
— absolutelyEpic137 (@totallyEpic137) October 10, 2024
Everyone is in his admiration. He was superhumanly in terms of the sheer amount of talent that he had, coupled with the fact that he always gave his 100 per cent.
— Mohammed Uzair qadri (@MohammedUzairqa) October 11, 2024
It’s all too much!
— Deborah Eden (@DeborahEden11) October 10, 2024
Nothing but tears today! I’m so happy I was able to see my tennis hero play live before he retired
— Tennis346894 (@blue4888) October 11, 2024
Maury has been the voice of Roland Garros ever since 2004. Other than Roland Garros, he also does the emcee role for Monte Carlo Masters. Maury’s career at the French Open has somewhat paralleled Rafa’s success in the tournament, as the Spaniard won his first Roland Garros title in 2005.
The two share a cordial bond, with the 22-time grand slam champion recognizing Maury’s presence almost every time he walks out onto the Philippe-Chatrier court.
Rafa-Maury’s first interview
Revealing how their first interaction after Rafa’s debut win at the tournament in 2005 went, Maury stated that the Spaniard couldn’t speak English at that time. Hence, the interview was conducted in Spanish for five years.
“After his first title, (2005) I came on court, he looked at me and said ‘I don’t speak English.’ I said ‘we’ll do it in my Spanish, my school Spanish, so you have to help me.’ We did that for five years and he got more and more confident,” said the announcer.
While discussing the kind of environment that is built up in the court when detailing Nadal’s victories, Maury told rolandgarros.com,
“[By the time] it comes to ‘2008’ [deux mille huit], I’ve already been drowned out, it’s electric, the tickling behind the ear.”
Maury’s voice has become legendary on the French Open court due to his memorable introductions of Rafa. His announcements of Nadal’s years of success on Parisian soil have even made opponents nervous, highlighting the legend’s dominance.
