If this is Rafael Nadal’s last French Open, it should be similar to Serena Williams’ last US Open

By HOWARD FENDRICH
AP Tennis Writer

This French Open is expected to be the last one for Rafael Nadal. He has won the clay-court Grand Slam tournament a record 14 times but he is nearly 38 and hip and abdominal injuries have limited him to 20 matches over the past 20 months. He has indicated that the edition of the French Open that begins Sunday in Paris will be his farewell to his favorite tournament — although as of Wednesday morning he had not even announced whether he would be playing. Think back just a couple of years ago to Serena Williams’ farewell at the U.S. Open. That’s the sort of atmosphere and adoration likely to be on display if he does play.