Nicolas Mahut's fairytale run in the French Open came to an end against Leonardo Mayer last Friday.The 37-year-old Frenchman, playing at his home grand slam, bowed out in the third round of the singles competition after being beaten by the Argentine. Mahut had impressed crowds at the tournament with a brilliant first-round win against Marco Cecchinato, where he lost the first two sets, only to comeback and win the match in five. The veteran followed that performance up with a straight-sets victory over Philipp Kohlschreiber, setting up a clash with Mayer in the last 32.But the Argentine was too strong for Mahut, who fell to a 3-6, 7-6, 6-4, 7-6 loss, in what was a very fierce contest.  

After the match, emotions got the better of the Frenchman, who broke down in tears as he packed his bags. 

While Mahut was getting ready to walk off to a standing ovation, his son, Natanel ran on the court to console his father. 

The pair embraced for a few seconds, while Mayer watched on and became emotional himself, applauding with the rest of the crowd whilst looking on with tears in his eyes. 

A clip of the special moment has since gone viral on social media, and it can be seen below. 

It was a truly beautiful moment for Mahut, who walked off blowing kisses and waving to the crowd, one that has supported him brilliantly throughout the tournament. 

Mayer's own French Open journey ended in the round of 16 just a couple of days later, when he was beaten in straight sets by Roger Federer. 

Federer then went on to win 7-6 4-6 7-6 6-4 against Stan Wawrinka, setting up a semi-final against the King of Clay, Rafael Nadal.