Some moments are so powerful, they become part of the world’s collective memory — and this year, Rafael Nadal gave us one of those.
In Google’s “Year in Search 2025” video — a global tribute to the defining people, memories, and emotions of the year — Nadal appears in the closing seconds, waving to the crowd during his Olympic match at Roland Garros. The clip fades in with the caption: “The ones we won’t forget.”
Chills.
Rafael Nadal’s Olympic wave at Roland Garros was featured in Google’s “Year in Search”
For Rafa fans, this moment means everything. It wasn’t just a match. It wasn’t even just the Olympics. It was a comeback, a goodbye, a warrior’s return to the clay that made him. It was hope, fire, and gratitude rolled into a single wave to the crowd — a moment that now sits immortalized in Google’s tribute to 2025.
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There’s something deeply poetic about it. Nadal didn’t need words. He didn’t need a final press conference or grand announcement. That wave, that presence on the Olympic court, said it all. A legend was still standing — bruised, maybe, but never broken.
Multiple widely published images of Nadal waving during the Olympic appearance at Roland Garros
And now, the entire world has seen it. Google’s Year in Search isn’t just a highlight reel — it’s a digital time capsule that reflects what mattered most to humanity that year. For Rafa to be part of it? That says everything about his impact. Not just on tennis, but on people.
He represents more than sport. He represents fight. He represents dignity, humility, resilience. In a world often distracted by noise, Rafael Nadal has always stood for something real — and seeing him honored in this way is a beautiful reminder of why we love him so much.
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Whether it was your first time watching him play or you’ve followed every Slam since 2005, that image of Rafa at Roland Garros is one of those moments we’ll carry forever. And now, thanks to Google, it belongs to the world too.
So when they say “The ones we won’t forget,” you know exactly who they mean.