Amid talk of ‘last dance’, how Paris cheers Nadal: From chef to ball boys to spectators to officials

INSIDE THE mega kitchen of Paris’s biggest, most famous patisserie, the chef is overcome by bittersweet emotions.

The last dance of the man whose birthday cakes he’s made, designed and delivered, for a better part of the last two decades could be near. And Chef Marc Riviere fears it’ll be here. “The thought of it makes me sad,” says Riviere, who was also the pastry chef for the Ambani wedding last month, adding, “very, very sad.”

About 6 km away, inside the centre court of Roland-Garros, the sentiment is the same. A Frenchman has a Spanish flag draped around his shoulders. On it is a request: “Rafa, please don’t retire.”

Monday’s biggest draw at the Paris Olympics wasn’t the medal events at the gymnastics arena or the pool. It was a second-round tennis match.

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, who have 46 Grand Slams between them, have played each other 60 times — no two players have faced one another more.

The result, in a way, was a foregone conclusion. Djokovic won 6-1, 6-4 in a little under two hours. But the thousands in Court Phillipe-Chatrier weren’t there for the outcome. They sat under the harsh sun just to pay homage to a player who has won more matches and more titles than any other player on this court — Nadal.

The first Sunday of the Games saw many first shows.

Simone Biles, the pioneering American gymnast, made a dazzling return to the Olympic platform after mental health problems paralysed her first flight in Tokyo. It was a performance to see, and the venue — buzzing with A-listers — was a place to be seen.

The LeBron James-led US basketball side — ‘Dream Team’ — made its first recital, beating a team with another NBA superstar, Serbia’s Nikola Jokic. Two of the many superheroes from the NBA universe who have descended upon Lille.

Paris 2024 Olympics – Tennis – Men’s Singles Second Round – Roland-Garros Stadium, Paris, France – July 29, 2024. Rafael Nadal of Spain waves after losing his match against Novak Djokovic of Serbia. (REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach)

For the home nation, Leon Marchand gave the packed La Defense Arena a reason to go back smiling and wake up with a sense of pride; the Monday morning papers splashing the swim sensation’s photo on their front pages.

It was a celebrity catwalk in the world’s fashion hub. But in this constellation of stars, one burnt the brightest — Nadal. He was the biggest storyline of the first weekend of the Games.

Right from the opening ceremony — in the rarest of rare moments, the honour of receiving the torch from French legend Zinedine Zidane in the last stretch of the relay was given to him. Most countries would have chosen one of their own. Here in Paris, however, Nadal is one of their own. “Rafa belongs to Paris,” Riviera says. “And Paris is Rafa’s.”

So, the Parisians turned out in unprecedented numbers on Saturday to watch his doubles opener partnering Carlos Alcaraz. It was the king of clay sharing the court with the crown prince, set to succeed the throne. When Nadal said he was unsure about his participation in the singles, they held their breath. And after he complained about the scheduling of matches, calling it “outrageous”, they firmly stood behind him.

That’s how Paris has taken care of Nadal from the time he first came here as a muscular teenager in those capris and sleeveless shirts, with that signature bandana strapped around his forehead.

Riviera took it upon himself to make sure Nadal’s birthday, on June 3, in the middle of the French Open, was always a special occasion. His prestigious patisserie, Potel et Chabot, makes more than 8,000 dishes every year during Roland-Garros. More than 100 chefs work on it, but Riviera has made it a point to ensure that a traditional birthday cake always reaches Nadal.

“Initially, when he started coming here, we would give him a box of olives because he likes them a lot. Then, we put some in his cake one time as an ode to his hometown, Mallorca. He really loved that touch,” Riviera says. Over the years, they anticipated his different requirements. “He prefers very low sugar in his food and likes fruit cakes. So we make different types, but we really like to hide olives in his cake so it comes to him as a surprise. I have always made olive ice cream for him.”

Paris: Rafael Nadal (R) of Spain and Novak Djokovic of Serbia greet each other ahead of their Men’s Singles second round match at the Tennis competitions in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, at the Roland Garros in Paris, France, 29 July 2024. (EPA-EFE/FRANCK ROBICHON VIA PTI)

The cakes are of different designs — a tennis racquet one year, a ball the other, and one time, a bull, which is one of Nadal’s nicknames. “You know, I doubt if he eats more than one spoon. His team eats the rest. But he has always politely thanked me and met me. I won’t say he is a friend, but when he is in Paris at Roland-Garros, we meet and he is always courteous,” Riviera says.

On court, Arthur Bongrand, the head of ball boys, ensures Nadal’s bottles — which he arranges meticulously — aren’t disturbed. But, over the years, he found another quirk: Nadal’s love for dates. So, before the Spaniard could even ask the referee, the ball boys would keep dates on his bench during matches.

It’s taken a city to raise a star. Everyone at Roland-Garros has a Rafa story.

Stephan Brun, who manages players’ entourages, once recalled how his team — most of them Roger Federer fans — was left awestruck when Nadal, after making an injury-forced third-round exit in 2016, came out to thank all of them despite writhing in pain and sadness. The court manager, Phillipe Vaillant, has said in past interviews that the Spaniard got more “shy” than his wife when he introduced them.

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“He is a star. But he is also like you and me. He doesn’t float here,” Riviera says, pointing upwards.

Perhaps, this explains why he has become the de facto face of these Games, at least for the first weekend. Nadal’s presence warms up the centre court, the site of his otherworldly exploits. And the fans cheer every point, every return as if it is his last. They know the last dance is near. And, fittingly, it might well be here.

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