Rafael Nadal Emotionally Shares Moment Before He Walked Out As Olympic Torch Bearer

The Spanish tennis player didn't know he was going to be a torch bearer at the Opening Ceremony until about 10 minutes before.

Rafael Nadal holds the Olympic torch during the Opening Ceremony for the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games. / James Lang-Imagn Images

Rafael Nadal raising the Olympic flame as a torch bearer at the 2024 Paris Olympics was one of the most iconic moments to come from the Games last summer. But as it turns out, Nadal didn't even know he was participating in this tradition until about 10 minutes before he grabbed the torch.

Nadal admitted to Andy Roddick on his podcast Served this week that he knew he would be involved in the Opening Ceremony, but he didn't know what his role was until just minutes before he took the stage in front of the Eiffel Tower.

This only gave Nadal a few minutes to really digest what he was about to experience. He gave himself a little pep talk before taking the torch so he would try to cherish the moment.

"When I realized the moment, I started to cry a little bit before," Nadal told Andy Roddick on his Served podcast. "When I started to cry, I say 'Shut up, man. Stop it, it's not the moment to cry. It's a moment to enjoy.'"

Nadal emphasized how big of an honor it was for him to carry the Olympic Torch in Paris as a Spaniard. That said, the sports world considers the 22-time major champion an honorary Frenchman, as he won a record 14 French Opens during his legendary tennis career. American Serena Williams, who has three French Open titles of her own, joined Nadal in the ceremony.

It was an even more special moment for Nadal as this was his last Olympic Games before he chose to retire from tennis at the Davis Cup in November.

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