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Rafael Nadal is the most successful player to have set foot on the terre-battue of Roland Garros and the French Tennis Federation (FFT) will unveil a statue of the Spaniard to commemorate his 13 triumphs in Paris.
Update: The statue was unveiled on 27 May, the pictures of which can be seen below:
And here is a video of the unveiling ceremony:
The 6-meter high metal statue was commissioned by FFT's new president Gilles Moretton and sculpted in Paris. It will be unveiled during the draw cerem for this year's French Open which takes place at 6 pm local time on Thursday.
The statue, which is the same color as the terre-battue, has been erected in front of gate 1 of Stade Roland Garros. The FFT's decision to build a statue of Rafael Nadal was approved back in 2017, when the Spaniard won the Coupe des Mousquetaires for the first time in three years.
Rafael Nadal is not the first player to be immortalized at the site. The statues of Frenchmen Jacques Brugnon, Jean Borotra, Henri Cochet and Rene Lacoste, famously known as the 'Four Musketeers', were on display for years, but were eventually decimated due to the remodeling of the site in the 2010s.
Rafael Nadal to begin training in Paris on Thursday
According to reports, Rafael Nadal trained at his academy with Casper Ruud earlier this week. He is now set to travel to Paris, where he will have to take a mandatory PCR test before availing of Roland Garros' facilities over the next fortnight.
After completing the test, Nadal will get his training underway on Thursday at the Bois de Boulogne.
What is the foot injury that has troubled Rafael Nadal over the years? Check here
