Will anyone fill Nadal's beloved shoes at the French Open?

PARIS -- The reception, applause and tears could person gone connected for hours. On Thursday, aft Richard Gasquet's second-round decision to Jannik Sinner, yet different beloved lad of Roland Garros was being honored arsenic 1 of its own, successful his last enactment connected the tennis court.

Court Philippe-Chatrier was agreed successful its admiration for Gasquet, 38. It was an outpouring of emotion and nostalgia for a antheral who arrived connected the country astatine 15, and stepped distant without the silverware expected, but with 1 of the astir wondrous backhands we'll ever see.

Later successful the day, Gael Monfils, besides 38, was unleashing his container of magic tricks against Jack Draper, a subordinate 16 years his junior. Fans astatine Chatrier were mesmerised by Monfils -- the past antheral lasting of the Gasquet, Giles Simon, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga quartet -- consenting 1 of their favourite sons to someway conjure different memorable triumph connected their location court. A flick of Monfils' wrist could crook the spot into a deafening din of French adoration.

There's nary request to look astatine the scoreboard to cognize erstwhile a French subordinate is connected court. That tiny portion of Roland Garros turns into a greenhouse of tricolor fervor. You perceive "La Marseillaise" drifting crossed the grounds, and chants of "Allez Les Bleus." But to beryllium genuinely loved astatine Roland Garros, arsenic a foreigner, takes time. For Rafael Nadal, it took 2 decades' worthy of titles, sweat and tears to gain a statue and a plaque connected Chatrier.

"I deliberation the French radical person a beardown feeling for the state -- a beardown nationalist sentiment," erstwhile Spanish tennis subordinate Feliciano López told ESPN. "I deliberation for idiosyncratic who's not French, it takes a agelong clip to gain this affection. I don't cognize if it'll instrumentality 14 years, oregon 14 titles, but it's going to beryllium precise hard for idiosyncratic not French."

There's respect for past champions. But adjacent though Iga Swiatek has 4 titles here, and is astir a 3rd of the mode toward Nadal's jaw-dropping 14, it doesn't consciousness arsenic though she has been adopted arsenic 1 of their own. After her Round 2 lucifer against Emma Raducanu, successful her on-court postmatch interview, determination was an eerie soundlessness aft her archetypal answer. She waved her arms, arsenic overmuch to accidental "Hello?" and the assemblage responded with a cheer.

Her tennis is 1 of focus. She's locked in, and seldom shows emotion. It's her way, and wherefore she's incredible. The fans look to person admiration and wonderment of Swiatek's dominance, but you consciousness they're inactive learning to emotion her here. Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka and Mirra Andreeva are popular, but each needs a Roland Garros rubric to commencement the travel to being adopted by the assemblage here. Only Nadal, adjacent successful retirement, inactive has this spot successful the thenar of his hand.

We're successful the post-Nadal twilight zone, yet his beingness present is everywhere: from the photos adorning the courts, to the Nadal caps, to the random nostalgic shouts of "Vamos Rafa!" One twelvemonth aft retirement, different ceremonial was held successful his grant past Sunday, with that imperishable tribute -- Nadal's footprint -- added adjacent to the nett station connected Chatrier.

But adjacent Nadal had to gain that love.

"I ever felt respected, but it's existent that successful the archetypal mates of years, I felt the assemblage wanted Roger [Federer] to win," Nadal said Sunday. "In immoderate way, they wanted maine to lose, astir apt due to the fact that they felt that if I suffer here, Roger would person a amended chance. Roger won successful 2009. After that, I deliberation they started treating maine wholly differently. I can't convey the assemblage capable for what they did for maine successful Paris. ... And I deliberation they felt however overmuch I emotion Paris and Roland Garros."

Sitting successful the assemblage for Nadal's farewell were Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz, the reigning French Open champions. Alcaraz could beryllium the antheral who challenges Nadal's crown, but not yet. He was asked aft his first-round lucifer if helium tin ever ideate winning 14 titles. "It's thing you can't deliberation astir ... I mean, conscionable 1 antheral connected the satellite was capable to bash it, and I can't ideate [doing it]."

And past determination are the others breaking done connected the men's side. No 1 has had much involvement astatine Roland Garros this past week than Brazilian 18-year-old Joao Fonseca. The lines for his archetypal 2 matches were hundreds deep. Spectators snaked astir the extracurricular court, hoping to drawback a glimpse of the wunderkind. One mates had flown from Brazil to instrumentality successful what they hoped was his second-round match. They snapped up arsenic galore tickets arsenic imaginable crossed the courts conscionable to beryllium safe.

Arthur Fils is besides increasing his instrumentality basal here. But again, similar Gasquet, Monfils, Simon and Tsonga, helium benefits from being a location hope. He has the property and quality to measurement into their void arsenic the beloved darling of Roland Garros, but not successful the aforesaid mode arsenic Nadal.

"With Rafa, it was a antithetic case: His personality, his charisma -- I deliberation they adopted him arsenic a lad of Paris," Lopez said. "What's happened present astatine Roland Garros with Nadal won't hap again. I don't deliberation we'll spot anyone winning 14 times for sure, and nary different subordinate volition gain the affection of the radical similar helium has."

Talking to spectators here, to beryllium genuinely loved arsenic an outsider, determination seems to beryllium a communal theme: longevity, an quality to flooded adversity and an appreciation for Roland Garros. Somehow, Nadal encapsulated each of those traits.

In his quality league aft his farewell, Nadal was asked whether helium thought anybody would lucifer his grounds here.

"At the end, I privation to beryllium remembered arsenic a feline that radical are blessed erstwhile I travel backmost to the places to spot maine again, you know. That's the important thing," Nadal said. "To triumph 14 Grand Slams successful the aforesaid place, present successful Roland Garros, that tin happen. But you request immoderate luck, too. But going to instrumentality a while, astatine slightest 30 much years."