The editions that stayed: Rafael Nadal reflects on the Roland Garros titles that mattered the most

During his farewell press conference at Roland Garros, Rafael Nadal was asked which editions of the tournament meant the most.I n a career filled with dominance, Nadal doesn't treasure the titles he won easily. What stays with him are the tournaments he had to fight really hard for, the ones marked by pain, fear and resilience.

Rafa Nadal said goodbye to Roland Garros in an emotional tribute that featured a lot of surprises. After the ceremony, that finished with Rafa's footprint cemented next to the net at the Philippe Chatrier court, the Spaniard spoke to the press were he shared great memories about his journey:

At one point, Nadal was asked what did he remember after his 116 matchups at the French Open, and to that, Rafa responded:

"I was this kind of guy that remembered every single point almost, but I lost that privilege years ago," Nadal admitted with a smile. "I don’t remember most of the things. I used to remember a lot — every tournament, every game. Now, not anymore. Probably because I closed that chapter of my life."

However, the 22-time Grand Slam winner has a place in his heart for several Roland Garros editions, and they're probably not the ones that most people thinks:

"People think about 2008 because it’s true that it’s the year that I played better. But probably because of that, it’s not one of the years that I remember with high emotions — because I won the tournament without suffering that much. For my mentality, I remember more the tournaments that I suffered. The tournaments that I needed to fight a lot."

2006 was so special for me, after coming back from a very tough foot injury. That was very, very emotional. Also 2010 was so important for me, because I lost in 2009 and I came back with big motivation. And 2012 too, because I almost achieved the Grand Slam of finals. I lost in Wimbledon, I lost in the US Open, I lost in Australia after six hours, and then I was able to break that momentum here. That was very important for me.

Finally, Nadal concluded his recap with 2022, the hardest one?

"2022 was the most probably the toughest in all ways. For all the things that happened before and during the tournament, physically and mentally. That one… it stays."

And that’s Rafa. The fighter. The one who never measured greatness by the scoreboard, but by how deep he had to dig to stand on his feet. That's why people loved him, because he never stopped showing up.