WATCH: “From being booed in Paris to this” – Fans go berserk as Zinedine Zidane passes the Olympic torch to Rafael Nadal 

Nadal is set to take part in singles and doubles at this year's Summer Games.

WATCH: “From being booed in Paris to this” – Fans go berserk as Zinedine Zidane passes the Olympic torch to Rafael Nadal 

Zinedine Zidane and Rafael Nadal (Via Imago)

The 2024 Paris Olympics concluded their opening ceremony and the prestigious Olympic torch was passed along to various sporting legends. Unlike every other edition of the Olympics, this year’s opening ceremony did not take place in the stadium. 

It started on the river Seine, where a boat carried athletes from all countries around the city. The boat reached Pont d’AUsterlitz bridge which is close to the Eiffel Tower. A temporary stadium was also built near the tower where the opening ceremony ended. 

YouTube video

The torch was also passed between the players and eventually went into the hands of soccer star Zinedine Zidane, who then passed it to Rafael Nadal. Tennis fans were stoked by this and cheered for the Spaniard, who passed the torch to Serena Williams. Videos and pictures went up online as the fans continued to shower praise on Nadal.

FS Video

Nadal, who started his Roland Garros career with a shower of boos, has come a long way to lift the torch into the Paris night. He might have won his first-ever French Open title there but it was not taken well by the fans after a couple of controversial calls. The 38-year-old eventually won over the crowd.

Fans shower Rafael Nadal with immense praise for lifting the Olympic Torch

It was an incredible moment for tennis and Rafael Nadal, who got to pass along the Olympic torch. After receiving it from the hands of Zinedine Zidane, the Spaniard passed it to fellow tennis great Serena Williams. However, it was Nadal who received a lot of praise.  

Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal (Via Imago)
From being booed in Paris to this. We’ve come a long way. And he deserves all the love so much
A fan said on X  

Let’s look at some other comments from fans:

Nadal received a rather challenging draw in the singles, where he might face Novak Djokovic in the second round. In doubles, the Spaniard has paired up with Carlos Alcaraz to try to win gold for his country one last time.

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