France, May 26 -- In a tearful lap of honour of centre court on Sunday evening, Rafael Nadal bade a formal farewell to the French Open in Paris following an homage to the exploits that furnished him with a record 14 titles.

Dressed in a black suit, black shoes and a dark shirt, the 38-year-old Spaniard soaked up the applause from the 15,000 spectators in the stands during a 45-minute ceremony at the end of the daytime matches.

A four-minute video splicing images of Nadal unleashing his trademark shots and fist pumps from over the years at the Roland Garros Stadium brought cheers and chants of "Rafa! Rafa!"

"I played here for 20 years," Nadal said. "I suffered. I won and I lost. I have lived many emotions on this court."

From his first...