Mahut pays tribute to Ferrer at Roland Garros

After celebrating his second-round win in Paris, Nicolas Mahut walked back onto the court to place his wristbands down on the service line in tribute to David Ferrer.

The Spaniard's nearly 20-year career came to an end earlier this month.

"It was a tribute to David Ferrer because I couldn't see him end his career in Madrid," Mahut said. "It was a tribute to him. I don't know what will happen in two days. We will see how I will recover. But it was time, and I wanted to pay a tribute to him."

Along his farewell tour, Ferrer put his headband down on courts around the world, including in Buenos Aires, Barcelona and finally, in Madrid.

Mahut is doing his friend Ferrer proud. On Sunday, he shocked a packed Court Simonne Mathieu crowd with his unexpected five-set triumph over No. 16-seeded Marco Cecchinato. On Wednesday, the 37-year-old had his fans on their feet once more with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 victory over Philipp Kohlschreiber.

"My first-round win was the greatest. It was unexpected. It was on a new court. The atmosphere was extraordinary, here too," Mahut said. "But victory in five sets after being down two sets was a great thing. Of course, this win is wonderful because I can go to the third round."

Seven-year-old son Natanel made yet another appearance to soak in the moment with his dad. Mahut will face either Leonardo Mayer or Diego Schwartzman in the third round.