Paris - Reception, applause and tears may have lasted for hours. Another beloved son of Roland Garros was honored to be part of himself in his final scene on the tennis court after Richard Gasquet beat Jannik Sinner in the second round.

Philippe-Chatrier's court praised Gasquet, 38. It was love and nostalgia for a man who arrived on the scene at 15 years old without the expected silverware, but they were one of the most wonderful counterattacks we've ever seen.

Later that day, Gael Monfils, also 38, released his magic book against Jack Draper, his 16-year-old player. Chatrier fans were fascinated by Monfils - the last guy in gasquet, Giles Simon, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga Quartet was willing to somehow win another memorable victory on their home court. A Monphelisian wrist can turn the place into a deafening French worship.

You don't need to check the scoreboard to know when a French player will appear in court. That small part of Roland Garros turned into a tricolor fanatic greenhouse. You hear "La Marseillaise" drifting on the ground and singing "Allez Les Bleus". But Roland Garros, as a foreigner, is truly loved. For Rafael Nadal, it took twenty years for the title, sweat and tears to win the statue and the plaque on the chatrier.

"I think the French people have a strong sense of this country," former Spanish tennis player Feliciano López told ESPN. "I think it takes a long time to win this relationship for someone who is not a Frenchman. I don't know it's 14 years or 14 titles, but for someone who is not a Frenchman, it will be very difficult."

Respect the champions of the past. But while Iga Swiatek has four titles here and is almost a third of Nadal's jaw-dropping 14 titles, she feels she's not adopted by one of her own. In her first round 2 match against Emma Raducanu, there was a creepy silence after her first answer. She waved her arms and said, "Hello?" The crowd cheered.

Her tennis is one of the key points. She was locked and showed little emotion. This is her way, why she is incredible. Fans seem to have admiration and wonder about Swiatek's dominance, but you think they are still learning to love her here. Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka and Mirra Andreeva are popular, but everyone needs a title of Roland Garros to start the journey adopted by the crowd here. Only Nadal, even in retirement, still has this position in his palm.

We are in the Twilight Zone after Nadal, but his presence here is everywhere: from photos of decorating the courts, to the Nadal caps, to the random nostalgic shouts of “Vamos Rafa!”. A year after retirement, another ceremony was held last Sunday in honor of his honor, Nadal's permanent tribute - Nadal's Footprint - added next to the online posts on Chatrier.

But even Nadal must win this love.

"I've always felt respectful, but indeed, in the first few years, I felt the crowd wanted Roger (Feder) to win," Nadal said on Sunday. "Somehow, they wanted me to lose, maybe because they felt that if I lost here, Roger would have a better chance. Roger won in 2009. Since then, I think they started to treat me completely differently. I can't really thank everything they did in Paris. ... I think they feel how much I love Paris and Roland Garros."

Nadal's fareweller sat in the crowd was Swiatek and French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz. Alcaraz may be the one who challenges Nadal's crown but hasn't yet. After the first round, he was asked if he could imagine winning 14 titles. "It's something you can't think of...I mean, there's only one person on Earth who can do it, I can't imagine (doing)."

Then there are others who break through the man's side. No one has been more interested in Roland Garros in the past week than 18-year-old Joao Fonseca in Brazil. His first two games were hundreds of lines. The audience sneaked on the outside court, hoping to have a glimpse of Wunderkind. A couple flew from Brazil to accept that they hoped for his second round. To be safe, they snapped up as many tickets as possible in court.

Maybe there is a new darling in Lois Boisson's Roland Garros. The 22-year-old became the first French woman to reach the quarter-finals in eight years that frustrated Jessica Pegula on Monday. Given that Boisson ranks 361st in the world and Pegula is the third seed of the tournament, it's a shocking shock. Boisson then said: "I'm not sure what to say. It's amazing to play in court in this atmosphere."

Arthur Fils is also here to grow his fan base. Like Boisson, he benefits from the hope of becoming a family. He has the personality and abilities of being the beloved person of Roland Garros, but the same as Nadal.

"With Rafa, that's another thing: his personality, his charm - I think they're using him as the son of Paris," Lopez said. "What happened with Nadal's Roland Garros won't happen again. I don't think we're going to see anyone sure wins 14 times, and no other player will win people's feelings like he does."

Talking to the audience here, truly being loved as an outsider, seems to share a common theme: longevity, the ability to overcome adversity and the appreciation of Roland Garros. Nadal encapsulates all these features in some way.

In a post-farewell press conference, Nadal was asked if he thought someone matched his record here.

"Finally, when I go back to where I saw me again, I want to be remembered, you know. It's important," Nadal said. "To win 14 Grand Slams in the same place in Roland Garros, that could happen. But you also need some luck. But it's going to take a while, at least 30 years."