Roger Federer on his bond with Rafael Nadal: “We respect the rivalry, but back in the day we couldn’t stand each other”
Roger Federer opened up at a recent event about his friendship with once-arch-rival Rafael Nadal.
Federer played the last match of his career alongside Rafael Nadal at the O2 Arena during Laver Cup in 2022. The former World No. 1s formed a strong bond while playing 40 encounters against each other.
Reflecting on the same friendship during an interaction with his fans at a Uniqlo event in New York last month, the Swiss recalled his initial impressions of a young, respectful and shy Nadal. He said:
"I'm five years older than Rafa. So when I came on tour, I saw young, junior Rafa come through and he was extremely good, very young, incredibly respectful and also very shy. So he had unbelievable respect for me, not that he doesn’t have now anymore, I guess it's different because we’re friendly. So earlier... With everything that I wanted to do on the tour and my ideas he was like, ‘You’re right!'”
The 20-time Grand Slam champion also discussed his team's equation with Nadal's team.
"Then I saw Rafa grow into his personality, he got more confident and then we started playing each other every other weekend and obviously got the rivalry very tennis but always got along well… Not only the two of us but also our teams - My parents, his parents; my coaches, his coaches; my sister, his sister," he said.
The Swiss further talked about the evolution of his dynamics with the Spaniard.
"But I think as we got older, we knew the time is ticking and we’re about to not see each other so much anymore. I started a family… that changes someone completely anyway. And we started to talk about totally different things in life… more about injuries and kids… he’s also a father now. So the conversations changed," he said.
Federer remembered his duels with the 22-time Grand Slam winner and admitted to missing the old times.
"We also started respecting the rivalry we used to have and we almost miss it, playing each other every other weekend. Back in the day we couldn’t stand each other probably for that but he is a great man and I wish he can come back one more time," he said.
Federer discusses the evolution of his relationship with Nadal pic.twitter.com/tVohmp8fTQ
"Thought about hanging up the racket at certain moments" - Roger Federer
During the same interaction, Federer also conceded to thinking about retirement in moments of dejection during his illustrious tennis career.
"It's a great sport. You get great camaraderie. We see them smiling a lot. Yes, I also thought about hanging up the racket at certain moments in my career because losing is really frustrating," he said.
The 41-year-old also highlighted the role of his family and team in his success.
"But then, you know you have your support team, you have your coach, maybe you have your parents, a friend, they can all pick you up, you know, and they can keep you going. And you're getting to know incredible people along the way, which for me, has been an incredible thing in my life," he said.