Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have shown up at the French Open to participate in a ceremony honoring 14-time tournament champion Rafael Nadal.

Roland Garros opened with tears, chants and a sea of brick-red T-shirts reading 'Merci Rafa' as the French Open paid an emotional tribute on Sunday to Rafael Nadal, the man who conquered its courts like no other.

If an 18th birthday is supposed to be a momentous, coming-of-age occasion, then Carlos Alcaraz got the memo. In front of a home crowd in Madrid, the then-up-and-coming tennis star braced himself to face one of the game’s great players for the first time.

The second of tennis' Grand Slam events gets underway on May 25 with the start of the French Open. The clay-court tournament is one where a slower surface speed puts an emphasis on the ability to win extended rallies and play off the baseline rather than relying on a dominant serve.

Roland Garros opened with tears, chants and a sea of brick-red T-shirts reading 'Merci Rafa' as the French Open paid an emotional tribute on Sunday to Rafael Nadal, the man who conquered its courts like no other.

Follow live text and BBC 5 live radio commentary from the French Open at Roland-Garros, the second Grand Slam tournament of the year.