Rafael Nadal is a 14-time champion at Roland Garros, holding the record for the most French Open singles titles of any man or woman in history.
Since his debut at the tournament, Nadal has failed to win the tournament only five times in 17 appearances.
He was denied five in a row in 2009, after a shocking fourth-round upset against Robin Soderling, who ultimately lost to Roger Federer in the final that year, but Nadal went on to win the next five French Open titles from 2010 to 2014.
The King of Clay retired at the Davis Cup in November, where Nadal played his last competitive match, representing Spain against Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands.
His final match at Roland Garros was played six months prior, having lost to Alexander Zverev in the first round, before bidding farewell to the crowd on court Philippe Chatrier.
Nadal’s last dance at the French Open came 19 years after his debut in Paris, where in 2005, the Spanish teenager opened his account at the major he would go on to dominate.
Rafael Nadal’s first-ever opponent at Roland Garros, Lars Burgsmüller
Nadal’s first opponent at the 2005 French Open came in the form of 29-year-old Lars Burgsmüller.
Burgsmüller turned pro in 1993 and enjoyed a 15-year-long stint on the ATP Tour before retiring in 2008, reaching a career-high singles ranking of 65, with one title to his name.
His best campaign at Roland Garros was in 2001, when he made the third round, and he was looking to improve on two consecutive second-round exits coming into the 2005 tournament.
The German’s opening matchup that year, unfortunately, was the man who would go on to become the greatest clay-court player of all time.
In a hot start to the match, Nadal cruised through the opening set against Burgsmüller in just over half an hour, winning six games and dropping just one.
Burgsmüller fought back in the second set, taking the Spaniard to a tiebreak, but was unable to get the job done, as Nadal went within a set of his first French Open victory.
It didn’t take long for him to seal the deal, as he served out the third set to win the match 6-1, 7-6, 6-1, and began a winning streak at Roland Garros that would last for another four years.
Rafael Nadal’s route to the title in his debut campaign at Roland Garros in 2005
After emerging victorious against Burgsmüller in round one, Nadal advanced to the second round, where he would play former Wimbledon semi-finalist Xavier Malisse, who he dismantled 6-2, 6-2, 6-4.
Nadal continued his straight-sets streak at the tournament in the third round, where he overcame Richard Gasquet 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.
In round four, he finally dropped a set against former top-five player Sebastian Grosjean, but ultimately came out on top to advance to the quarter-finals, where he came up against compatriot David Ferrer.
| Round | Opponent |
|---|---|
| Final | Mariano Puerta (W) |
| Semi-Final | Roger Federer (W) |
| Quarter-Final | David Ferrer (W) |
| Fourth Round | Sebastian Grosjean (W) |
| Third Round | Richard Gasquet (W) |
| Second Round | Xavier Malisse (W) |
| First Round | Lars Burgsmüller (W) |
Ferrer, however, was also unable to find an answer for the 18-year-old who earned yet another straight-sets victory over his fellow countryman.
The 2005 Roland Garros semi-final marked the first time Nadal and Federer played each other in a Grand Slam, and it went the way of the Spaniard, who was able to best the then-world number one over four sets.
In his final against Argentinian Mariano Puerta, Nadal had an early scare, losing the first set in a close tiebreak, but immediately replied by winning the next three sets to seal his first of 14 French Open titles.
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