It all began in 2005, during his debut at the tournament. After a dominant clay-court season on the ATP Tour, Nadal won 17 consecutive matches, earning titles in Monte Carlo, Barcelona, and Rome. He arrived in the French capital in spectacular form, dropping just one set on his way to the semifinals.

On his 19th birthday, Rafa faced world number one Roger Federer in a thrilling semifinal—just the third of what would become 40 legendary encounters. Wearing his iconic sleeveless green shirt and white shorts, Rafa won 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in a match that made headlines around the world.

In the final against Mariano Puerta, Rafa dropped the first set (the only one he would lose in the tournament) but ultimately defeated the Argentine in four sets. “My dream was to win a Grand Slam title, but especially Roland Garros, because that’s the tournament all Spaniards want to win,” Rafa said after the match.

That victory marked the beginning of four consecutive titles in Paris. He lost just three sets in 2006, one in 2007, and none in 2008, defeating Federer in all three finals. His 2008 campaign, in which he dropped only 41 games in 21 sets, cemented Nadal’s status as the King of Clay.

After a fourth-round loss in 2009 to Robin Soderling, order was restored in 2010 when Nadal defeated the powerful Swede in a one-sided final. Once again, Nadal didn’t lose a single set en route to the title.

Rafa reestablished his dominance at Roland Garros by winning five consecutive titles between 2010 and 2014. Despite intense rivalries with the rest of the Big Four (Federer, Djokovic, and Andy Murray), the Spaniard’s success in Paris was indisputable. During this stretch, his greatest challenge came in the 2013 semifinals against Djokovic—a classic encounter that ended 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-7(3), 9-7 in favor of the Spaniard after four hours and 37 minutes. Just a year after Djokovic had beaten Rafa in the epic 2012 Australian Open final (the longest Grand Slam final in history at five hours and 53 minutes), Rafa overcame adversity to reach yet another final.

The disappointments of 2015 (a quarterfinal loss to Djokovic) and 2016 (a wrist injury forced him to withdraw) were erased with a run of five titles in six years between 2017 and 2022. His 2017 triumph ended a three-year Grand Slam drought.

In the final stretch of his career, Rafa continued to rewrite the history books in Paris. When Björn Borg won six Roland Garros titles, including four in a row from 1978 to 1981, many thought that record was untouchable.

By matching Pete Sampras’ total Grand Slam tally at Roland Garros alone, Rafa shattered the limits of what anyone thought possible. “Roland Garros is the most important tournament of my tennis career,” he said before his farewell. “Everything I lived and enjoyed there will remain in my heart forever.”

Now, all sports fans can relive Rafa’s legendary achievements in Paris by visiting the Rafa Nadal Museum, where all 92 of his career trophies are on display.