Could this really be it for the King of Clay at Roland Garros? Rafa faces Alexander Zverev in the first round.
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00:00 It's a big, big chance that's going to be my last Roland-Garros.
00:03 But if I have to tell you it's 100% my last Roland-Garros,
00:08 sorry, but I will not. I cannot predict what's going on.
00:12 He's just a lot stronger.
00:22 Which means that even on bad days,
00:25 even on days when he was physically not as good,
00:27 even on days when he was playing bad,
00:30 he was so strong that he even won those days.
00:33 He was just a lot stronger.
00:53 I think that in a few years I won't be able to believe everything I lived
00:57 with him, both on and off the pitch.
00:59 And for me, he's going to be a great example of this sport.
01:04 I'm part of a generation where he won the tournament 14 times.
01:09 So it's the end of an era.
01:13 But honestly, I was lucky to see these players
01:22 for so long, so strong for so long,
01:25 that it had to stop at some point.
01:27 Will it be here or will it be the next one?
01:29 We don't know.
01:31 But we know for a while that we're getting close to the end.
01:35 Being his last tournament, if it is that in fact,
01:38 is going to be quite an emotional experience for everybody.
01:42 Somewhat like watching Roger when he retired at Lever Cup.
01:47 People will want to be there.
01:49 They'll want to be a part of that last moment.
01:51 I'm not shy to say I'm happy it's not me playing against him first round.
01:55 In my mind, I'm going to play peak Rafael Nadal.
02:01 And that's what I expect him to be.
02:04 I expect him to be at his absolute best.
02:07 I expect him to play the best tennis that he's played in a long time on this court.
02:12 In some way, this place is magical for me.
02:16 If in the bottom of my heart, I don't have any hope to have success here
02:25 and to create a beautiful thing this year,
02:28 I will not be here in front of you guys.
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02:33 [MUSIC]
02:36 (upbeat music)