Given that the Spaniard has dominated his way to 22 Grand Slam victories, this accomplishment comes despite the fact that he has repeatedly been subjected to an enormous amount of pressure.

This astounding total may come to an end there, since Nadal is expected to retire from the sport of tennis in the very near future, when he will be 38 years old.

Due to the fact that the former world number one athlete has chosen to skip the tournament, it is quite unlikely that he will win another major title at Wimbledon the following month.

This momentous choice was made in advance of his forthcoming debut in the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024, which will take place later this summer.

Rafael Nadal involved in racket swing against Stan Wawrinka

And despite his King of Clay title, Nadal was always going to find it difficult in trying to win another French Open after a first round draw against Alexander Zverev.

The duo were forced to cancel a practice match due to that draw, with the German fourth seed going on to win in straight sets. The Spanish legend did, however, manage to take part in a practice match with Stan Wawrinka at Roland Garros.

The encounter involved a rare moment from Nadal, with the 22-time Grand Slam champion swinging his racket, which he has claimed is a normal occurrence in such matches. “It happens to me in training,” Nadal told L’Equipe. “It’s something natural, normal. In a good workout, for example.

“In this case, I wasn’t losing control, it was a moment of anger. The roof had been closed, the court was too lit and I couldn’t see the ball. “I felt like I was playing well and suddenly I lost my eye on the ball for three games, it wasn’t going well and it frustrated me.

“But in a match, it’s different. Swinging your racket means losing control and creating an example that is not positive for young people. That’s why I’ve never done it and never will.”

Mentality key to Rafael Nadal’s stunning career

Remaining composed when it really matters isn’t for everyone, with Nadal’s fellow professional Stefanos Tsitsipas undoubtedly favouring a different approach. The Greek star smashed his racket just five minutes into his Italian Open match against Jan-Lennard Struff last month.

He later admitted that such antics help him alleviate his frustration on court, an approach that perhaps works for Tsitsipas given that he went on to win the match in Rome.

But that definitely isn’t the case for Nadal, whose mentality has helped him go down in history as one of the all-time greats. Unfortunately it seems that tennis fans are now witnessing the very last of his special moments on court ahead of his likely retirement.

A special farewell could take place at the Olympics, with Nadal’s chances of winning gold very high given his Wimbledon decision and the fact the tournament will be played on the clay courts of Roland Garros.