PARIS (AP) — Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray showed up at the French Open on Sunday to participate in a ceremony honoring 14-time tournament champion Rafael Nadal, symbolizing the approaching end of a golden era in men's tennis.
“To have my three biggest rivals there, in the court with me, meant a lot, no? And at the same time, it’s a great message for the world that the ... toughest rivalries probably in the history of our sport are able to be good colleagues, to respect each other. You don’t need to hate the opponent to try to beat him with all your forces,” Nadal said at a news conference later. “And that’s the message that I think we showed people, we showed the new generations, and in some way that’s our legacy.”
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Rafa Nadal, second right, poses with, from left, Andy Murray, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, right, during a farewell ceremony at center court Philippe-Chatrier, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Sunday May 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Rafa Nadal, left, hugs Roger Federer, as Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, right, look on, during a farewell ceremony at center court Philippe-Chatrier, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Sunday May 25, 2025.
Rafa Nadal, right, is congratulated by Andy Murray, top right, as Roger Federer, left, and Novak Djokovic, during a farewell ceremony at center court Philippe-Chatrier, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Sunday May 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Rafa Nadal, left, hugs Roger Federer, as Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, right, look on, during a farewell ceremony at center court Philippe-Chatrier, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Sunday May 25, 2025.
Rafa Nadal, second right, poses with, from left, Andy Murray, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, right, during a farewell ceremony at center court Philippe-Chatrier, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Sunday May 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Rafa Nadal, left, hugs Roger Federer, as Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, right, look on, during a farewell ceremony at center court Philippe-Chatrier, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Sunday May 25, 2025.
Rafa Nadal, right, is congratulated by Andy Murray, top right, as Roger Federer, left, and Novak Djokovic, during a farewell ceremony at center court Philippe-Chatrier, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Sunday May 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Rafa Nadal, second right, is hugged by Novak Djokovic as Roger Federer, left, look at them, during a farewell ceremony at center court Philippe-Chatrier, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Sunday May 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Rafa Nadal, left, hugs Roger Federer, as Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, right, look on, during a farewell ceremony at center court Philippe-Chatrier, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Sunday May 25, 2025.
During the tribute to Nadal, a video played showing those three rivals of his — together, the quartet with a combined 69 Grand Slam titles came to be known as the Big Four.
“We couldn’t let you leave like this,” Murray said in the taped segment, and then he, Federer and Djokovic walked out together.
Nadal, who turns 39 next month and retired after last season, went over to them and gave each a hug. They all patted him on the back.
He didn't know for sure they would be there, but he suspected they would. (Djokovic is entered in the French Open and is scheduled to play his first match on Tuesday.)
“At the end, now, it’s all about being happy about everything that we achieved,” Nadal said. “At the end, all of us achieved our dreams."
Federer, now 43, played his last match in 2021 and announced his retirement the following year. Murray, who turned 38 this month, retired after participating in the Paris Olympics last year and briefly coached Djokovic this season. Djokovic, who turned 38 on Thursday and won his 100th career title on Saturday, is the only member of the group still active on tour.
Djokovic has won the most Grand Slam titles for a man, 24. Nadal is next on the list with 22, followed by Federer with 20. Murray won three.
Nadal and Djokovic played each other 60 times, the most matches between two men in the Open era of tennis, which began in 1969. Djokovic led the series 31-29, taking their final encounter in the second round of the Paris Olympics last year, although Nadal led 8-2 in French Open matchups.
Nadal led Federer 24-16, including 6-0 at Roland-Garros. Nadal led Murray 17-7.
“They represent a very important part of my tennis career, because in some way, we pushed each other to the limits. ... Always, one of that four was winning the tournament,” Nadal said. “So that, to put it in perspective, never allowed us to stay relaxed or to give us a break in terms of intensity, in terms of the determination (to) keep improving our game.”
AP Sports Writer Jerome Pugmire contributed.
Rafa Nadal, second right, poses with, from left, Andy Murray, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, right, during a farewell ceremony at center court Philippe-Chatrier, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Sunday May 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Rafa Nadal, left, hugs Roger Federer, as Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, right, look on, during a farewell ceremony at center court Philippe-Chatrier, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Sunday May 25, 2025.
Rafa Nadal, right, is congratulated by Andy Murray, top right, as Roger Federer, left, and Novak Djokovic, during a farewell ceremony at center court Philippe-Chatrier, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Sunday May 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
Rafa Nadal, second right, is hugged by Novak Djokovic as Roger Federer, left, look at them, during a farewell ceremony at center court Philippe-Chatrier, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Sunday May 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Rafa Nadal, left, hugs Roger Federer, as Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, right, look on, during a farewell ceremony at center court Philippe-Chatrier, at the Roland-Garros stadium, in Paris, Sunday May 25, 2025.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — An ailing astronaut returned to Earth with three others on Thursday, ending their space station mission more than a month early in NASA’s first medical evacuation.
SpaceX guided the capsule to a middle-of-the-night splashdown in the Pacific near San Diego, less than 11 hours after the astronauts exited the International Space Station.
“It’s so good to be home,” said NASA astronaut Zena Cardman, the capsule commander.
It was an unexpected finish to a mission that began in August and left the orbiting lab with only one American and two Russians on board. NASA and SpaceX said they would try to move up the launch of a fresh crew of four; liftoff is currently targeted for mid-February.
Cardman and NASA’s Mike Fincke were joined on the return by Japan’s Kimiya Yui and Russia’s Oleg Platonov. Officials have refused to identify the astronaut who had the health problem or explain what happened, citing medical privacy.
While the astronaut was stable in orbit, NASA wanted them back on Earth as soon as possible to receive proper care and diagnostic testing. The entry and splashdown required no special changes or accommodations, officials said, and the recovery ship had its usual allotment of medical experts on board. It was not immediately known when the astronauts would fly from California to their home base in Houston. Platonov’s return to Moscow was also unclear.
NASA stressed repeatedly over the past week that this was not an emergency. The astronaut fell sick or was injured on Jan. 7, prompting NASA to call off the next day’s spacewalk by Cardman and Fincke, and ultimately resulting in the early return. It was the first time NASA cut short a spaceflight for medical reasons. The Russians had done so decades ago.
The space station has gotten by with three astronauts before, sometimes even with just two. NASA said it will be unable to perform a spacewalk, even for an emergency, until the arrival of the next crew, which has two Americans, one French and one Russian astronaut.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov is helped out of the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft onboard the SpaceX recovery ship SHANNON after they re-entered the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)
JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui is helped out of the SpaceX Crew-11 capsule after they re-entered the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)
NASA astronaut Mike Fincke is helped out of the SpaceX Crew-11 capsule after they re-entered the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)
NASA astronaut Zena Cardman is helped out of the SpaceX Crew-11 capsule after they re-entered the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)
This screengrab from video provided by NASA shows the NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 capsule being taken into the recovery vessel after crew members re entered the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)
This screengrab from video provided by NASA shows NASA astronaut Mike Fincke getting helped out of the SpaceX Crew-11 capsule after they re-entered the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)
This screengrab from video provided by NASA shows NASA Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui being helped out of the SpaceX Crew-11 capsule after they re-entered the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)
This screengrab from video provided by NASA shows Russian astronaut Oleg Platonov being helped out of the SpaceX Crew-11 capsule after they re-entered the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)
Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, left, NASA astronauts Mike Fincke, Zena Cardman, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui are seen inside the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft onboard the SpaceX recovery ship SHANNON shortly after having landed in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Long Beach, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)
This screengrab from video provided by NASA shows NASA astronaut Zena Cardman being helped out of the SpaceX Crew-11 capsule after they re-entered the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)
This screengrab from video provided by NASA TV shows the SpaceX Dragon departing from the International Space Station shortly after undocking with four NASA Crew-11 members inside on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (NASA via AP)
This photo provided by NASA shows clockwise from bottom left are, NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, NASA astronaut Zena Cardman, and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui gathering for a crew portrait wearing their Dragon pressure suits during a suit verification check inside the International Space Station’s Kibo laboratory module, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (NASA via AP)
This screengrab from video provided by NASA shows recovery vessels approaching the NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 capsule to evacuate one of the crew members after they re-entered the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)
This screengrab from video provided by NASA shows the NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 members re entering the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)
This screengrab from video provided by NASA shows the NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 members re entering the earth in a middle-of-the-night splashdown near San Diego, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (NASA via AP)
