Roger Federer said goodbye to tennis this past Saturday along with several opponents who have become great friends throughout the years and wanted to accompany him on this special and historic day, like Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic or Rafa Nadal. The one from Manacor starred together with the Swiss in an image that went viral, in which it is shown that after the healthy competition they have maintained for many years, a great admiration and friendship was hidden behind.
Nadal spoke about said snapshot this Sunday with Juanma Castaño in The Tertullion of Game time: “I haven’t seen the photo. I’m not a big fan of social media, sorry about that.”
The Spanish tennis player acknowledged that he was moved by Federer’s farewell not only on the court, but also in the hotel: “I am a sensitive person, and when you see someone you appreciate like that It’s hard not to get excited, although it got a little out of hand,” he joked. “When I got to my room, I got excited again. But because of what happened that night, it was hard not to get emotional.”
“Our rivalry has evolved like our friendship”
Nadal denied that his emotion was due to the fact that at that moment he was imagining his farewell: “Nothing, zero. I know that the moment of my withdrawal will come within ‘x’ or ‘x’ plus a little, but at 36 and a half we are in the final stretch of my career. But now I neither consider it nor do I want to consider it. My emotion was not because of that, but because of the appreciation I feel towards Federer.
The Swiss told Rafa that he was going to retire days before announcing it and suggested they play together, although it was not until the last moment that it became known that the two would team up in the tournament due to the Spaniard’s circumstances: “He told me ten days before announcing it, but he didn’t even know if he could play doubles, because of his knee. We postponed the conversation a week later, and he also knew that because of my situation, I can’t be away from home for long. The only thing I could say to him is ‘confirm that you are going to play to manage everything, and as little as I can, I will be with you, whether you play or not‘”.
The Majorcan assures that their relationship has changed since they began to compete to the present: “Our rivalry has evolved as has our friendship. When you’re young you just want to win, be the best, and over the years, I think the two of us, being athletes, as we’ve had experiences together and have shared moments of sadness or disappointment competing with each other, and There comes a point where we have appreciated what these games are.”
Play both at the Bernabéu: “Of course I would be excited”
About if at some point have had discussions, the Spaniard said that “on the track no, off the track yes. I think that on the track I don’t think we’ve ever argued. Between us the relationship on the track has always been impeccable. Outside too, but sometimes we have had different points of view of what we want in our sport and we have discussed, it would only be missing”.
Nadal is a great fan of Real Madrid and before the possibility of an exhibition match between Federer and him, he assured that “I have no idea about that, I don’t think Madrid is obsessed with it either. If at any time the request arrives, of course I would be excitedthen you would have to talk to the other person”.
Nadal on Federer in 2009: “I didn’t want him to win”
Nadal considers that his eternal rival and great friend has done “in history, No one has been seen to do it so elegantly, so majestically. Winning so much and so beautifully is going to be difficult to repeat.”
One of the moments in which the Spaniard was moved by Federer was at Roland Garros in 2009: “I didn’t want Roger to win because I had options to be number 1, but I had been able to beat him in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008. I think someone who is so close deserved to win. And when it ends that final, I cried, I was moved by what it meant for him to win Roland Garros and in Grand Slam “.
see you soon roger
“A bond of friendship has been created that will last.” With this sentence in which he summarizes his relationship with the Swiss, the Spanish tennis player ended his interview.
Impossible not to get excited ????
???????? Federer, in tears, says goodbye to tennis with the entire O2 in London dedicated to the cause
Thank you very much Roger! ???? pic.twitter.com/BEYC5A18ib
— Eurosport.es (@Eurosport_ES) September 23, 2022
It is not every day that one of the best tennis players in history says goodbye to tennis, surrounded by great friends, who are also the same ones who have written, together with the Swiss, the most exciting and high-level clashes of recent decades. After writing his name in history in such a majestic way, winning nothing more and nothing less than 20 Grand Slams, we can only wish him the best in his next stage and we hope to see him on the track again, even if he is not competing.
