"No one matches this aura on any other court": Fans react as Rafael Nadal returns to Court Philippe-Chatrier to roaring reception ahead of French Open

Rafael Nadal was welcomed back to the Court Philippe-Chatrier to a roaring reception. The Spaniard stepped on the Chatrier for a practice session as he gears up for the upcoming French Open, and tennis fans were pleased to see him on the court.

Nadal, possibly in his final season, played his first match on clay in over 681 days at the Barcelona Open. Since then, he competed in the Madrid Open and the Italian Open.

The Spaniard is currently preparing for the French Open and stepped on the court Philippe-Chatrier for the first time since 2022 when he lifted La Coupe de Mousquetaires for the 14th time. He was met with a roaring reception from fans who cheered for the former World No. 1 on his much-awaited return.

Fans took to X (formerly Twitter) to react to the reception received by the 22-time Major champion with one of the fans saying that his aura on Philippe-Chatrier was unparalleled.

"no one matches this aura on any other court im afraid thats his hometown"

Another fan was happy to see the Spaniard return to his 'second home' after a long hiatus/

"Great to see the 14-time champion back at his “second home” for the first time since his last title on June 5, 2022."

Here are some other reactions from the fans who were happy to see the reception received by the 37-year-old on his return.

"And it is just a practice. No one else draws crowds like he does," a fan said.

"Should be: Rafa is back on Court Rafael Nadal, with a huge crowd to welcome him," a fan suggested.

"Rafa is back in his nature habitat," a fan mentioned.

Some other fans were shocked to see the amount of people that had turned up for a practice session and imagined what it would be like during the Spaniard's matches during the tournament.

"If this is just the warm up practice session, then ... phew," a fan was surprised.

"So all these ppl are just here for practice. Didn't they go to work or they left work and was like, #Rafa #RafaelNadal is practicing, and we gotta be there. Don't blame them bc I will do the same thing #RolandGarros," another fan was surprised.

"Love the support Rafa has received in the final years of his career! I remember before the RG22 final, McEnroe said “it’s come full circle for Rafa. They used to boo him because he was so good…and now they cheer for him because he’s so good. I hope he has a great tournament," a fan recalled.

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"Rafael Nadal is not going to drag himself down, he remains confident because of his mentality and way of being" - Toni Nadal

The Spaniard is gearing up for Roland Garros

During a recent interview with ESPN, Toni Nadal, Rafael Nadal's uncle and former coach, said that the Spaniard's confidence is because of his mentality and he won't be down on himself.

"He is not going to drag himself down, he remains confident because of his mentality and way of being."

Toni also said that the 14-time Roland Garros winner won't go to Paris to get eliminated in the early stages and shared that a dream ending for the Spaniard would be winning his 15th title and retiring. He also said that if he feels like it, the former World No. 1 will continue playing.

"He will not go to Roland Garros to lose in the second round, only if he believes he can win the tournament. His dream ending would be to win Roland Garros and retire, but I think if he does he will want to continue. He won't retire," Toni said

Rafael Nadal will play Roland Garros for the 19th time in his career provided he feels fit. The French Open main draws will begin on 26th May.