Rafael Nadal gets a proper send-off, and a place in the clay, at Roland Garros

Stream every match from Roland Garros, on demand, on the Tennis Channel app (after 11 p.m. ET). 3 to Stream, our daily wrap of the action in Paris, highlights you three matches you'll want to read about—and then replay.

For Day 1, there’s also a ceremony to stream: Rafael Nadal’s proper Paris send-off, including a permanent place in the terre battue.

Rafael Nadal never had much trouble with his on-court opponents at Roland Garros. Starting at 18, he won his first 31 matches there with hardly a hitch, and finished a barely believable 112-4. But there was one stubborn foe that it took him longer to conquer: The crowd in Paris.

In the early days, the locals didn’t appreciate the way this stubborn Spanish teenager kept interrupting their love affair with the artful, French-speaking Roger Federer. Later, the fans at RG didn’t appreciate how Rafa kept taking their national title back home to Spain, often at the expense of their countrymen—Nadal was 42-6 for his career vs. three of their Musketeers, Richard Gasquet, Gael Monfils and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

The thaw finally came earlier this decade, after Rafa had reached his mid-30s and lost a classic 2021 semifinal to Novak Djokovic. The next year, during his run to his 14th and final title, the Parisians chanted his name and roared for his victories. With age, time, and a tiny bit of vulnerability, all, seemingly, was forgiven.

So when he walked out for his tribute ceremony inside Court Philippe Chatrier on Sunday, it felt like Nadal had won over his last and toughest opponent. The fans wore “Merci Rafa” shirts, arrayed themselves into a heart symbol in the upper deck, and sobbed along with his speech. The tournament even embedded his name and footprint in the Chatrier clay—forever. His former and sometimes bitter rivals, Federer, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray, were there as friends and supporters. Even his chief French antagonist, Yannick Noah, was seen applauding.

Last year, when Nadal lost in the first round and retired later in the year, there was a sense that his career hadn’t been celebrated enough, especially compared to Federer’s night-long Laver Cup send-off in London. It seemed impossible that he would leave Chatrier for the last time with one small wave after his final defeat.

Fortunately, it was impossible. Today he left the way he was meant to leave: In front of fans, friends, and family, with a victory lap around the court, with his son in his arms.

Now Roland Garros, and tennis, moves into its post-Rafa era. While he was speaking, there were other matches going on around the grounds. As always, the first Sunday at the French served as a soft and slightly sleepy opening for the two-week tournament to come. But there were matches and results—and at least one shot—of note. Here’s a look at three that are worthy of your streaming time at the Tennis Channel app:

Moller, 21, shows off shades of early Goffin

Tommy Paul d. Elmer Moller, 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-3, 6-1

Moller is 21 and ranked just 108th, but his two-handed backhand has become the stuff of legend. Many of us got our first look at why, when he made his main-draw debut at a major on Sunday.

Leaving aside the last three sets and his relatively routine defeat to Paul, the reality came reasonably close to living up to the hype. Moller at 21 reminded me of seeing David Goffin make the fourth round, and push Federer to four sets, at Roland Garros in 2012. Like Goffin back then, Moller looks at least three years younger than he is; and like Goffin, he has superb timing on both ground strokes, but especially his backhand. In an age when hitting as many forehands is seen as paramount, Moller goes in the other direction entirely.

“Obviously very different kind of player, I guess,” Paul said.

I mean, he’s running around to hit backhands, which you don’t see very often.

“Especially running around to hit ’em inside-out, which was kind of strange. But he did it very well.”

Will Moller make the inside-out backhand a weapon of the future? For now, it will have to wait. After losing the opening set, Paul gradually took control of the rallies, and physically wore down his younger, skinnier opponent.

👉 WATCH HIGHLIGHTS HERE

Eala gets a lesson in dirt ball

Emiliana Arango d. Alexandra Eala, 6-0, 2-6, 6-3

A near-capacity crowd filled side-court No. 6 for this match between two unseeded players. The curiosity was clearly centered around Eala, a teenage Rafa Nadal Academy graduate who made a major splash at the Miami Open in March, when she beat Iga Swiatek and made the semis. With one result, the lefty became the greatest tennis player in the history of the Philippines.

But a career is not made in a week, and world domination is going to have to wait a bit. Arango is 24, ranked just 85th, and cedes a lot in the power department to most of her opponents, but Eala couldn’t handle her. Specifically, the teen struggled to handle the topspin and high bounce that Arango, who is from clay-loving Colombia, created with her forehand.

After an error-strewn start, Eala did grit her teeth and turn the match around in the second set. But she spent much of the third well behind the baseline, reaching up to hit the ball. By then, the crowd’s attention may have switched over to Arango. With her backwards baseball hat and inside-out whip forehand, she has a jocky presence all her own.

Paolini takes a punch, then delivers a knockout blow

Jasmine Paolini d. Yuan Yue, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3

Did you see a Paolini letdown coming? I didn’t, but I probably should have entertained the possibility. Last week in Rome, she not only won the biggest title of her career, she did it at home, becoming the first Italian to win the national title in 40 years. Then she went out and won the doubles. The celebrations were glorious, emotional—and probably draining.

At the time, I thought the 29-year-old’s performance would propel her back into the contender conversation in Paris. And it might yet. But first she had to come back down to earth, prepare for an even more important event, start over again in the first round, and face an opponent who suddenly began to play with the loose-limbed conviction of someone with nothing to lose.

Starting midway through the second set, Yuan upped the pace on both of her ground strokes. At first, Paolini, who lost the second set and went down a break in the third, didn’t have an answer. But that’s when those recent wins, and the confidence she gained from them, paid off. Instead of panicking, Paolini met the challenge head on, matching Yuan’s pace with power of her own, and doing it much more accurately. From 2-3 down in the third, she changed her game, flattened out her strokes, sent a flurry of winners to the corners, and ran away with the match.

Like a champ, she took a punch, and responded with a knockout blow.

👉 WATCH HIGHLIGHTS HERE