Roger Federer on Rafael Nadal: "I will never forget what he did for me in London"
Roger Federer recently expressed gratitude to his friend and long-time rival Rafael Nadal for his presence next to him in the final moments of his professional playing career.
On Friday, Federer and Nadal partnered for a doubles match at the Laver Cup in London. The two former World No. 1s, however, lost to the American pair of Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe.
Upon returning to Switzerland following the tournament's conclusion, Federer reflected on his retirement, Nadal's importance throughout his career and especially in the final moments, and more.
In a conversation with The New York Times, the 41-year-old said that he informed the Spaniard of his decision to retire right after the US Open was over, to give him time to decide on his participation in the Laver Cup.
"I called him after the U.S. Open — I waited for him to finish that tournament — just to let him know about my retirement. And I just wanted to let him know before he started making some plans without the Laver Cup at all. Rafa told me, 'I will try everything I possibly can to be there with you.' And that felt obviously incredible for me," he said.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s first ever meeting on a tennis court was a doubles match. 2004. 18 years ago.
It was only fitting that their last ever official meeting, on a tennis court, was in doubles, but alongside each other. In 2022.
Longevity legends 👑🇨🇭🇪🇸 https://t.co/8YPq4CYIRY
The 20-time Grand Slam winner further claimed he would "never forget" Nadal making himself available despite the fact that he was not fully fit and also wanted to be with his wife, who is close to giving birth to their first child. Federer said that their rivalry and friendship are proof that players can be both super competitive and have a great relationship.
"It showed again how much we mean to one another and how much respect we have. And I just thought it would be just a beautiful, amazing story for us, for sports, for tennis, and maybe beyond that as well, where we can coexist in a tough rivalry and come out on top and show that, hey, again it’s just tennis," Federer said.
"Yes, it’s hard, and it’s brutal sometimes, but it’s always fair. And you can come out on the other side and still have this great, friendly rivalry. I just thought it ended up even better than I ever thought it would. So, an incredible effort by Rafa, and I’ll obviously never forget what he did for me in London," he added.
Nadal and Federer holding hands, both crying at his retirement with Ellie Goulding playing in the background, is one of the most heartwarming moments in tennis history https://t.co/EQ2GA99Smn
"I lost my job, but I’m very happy, I’m really good" - Roger Federer
While sad at the thought of no longer being a professional player, Roger Federer seems to have come to terms with his retirement. He stated that he felt "complete" and happy with the way the curtains came down on his career.
"I think I feel complete. I lost my last singles match. I lost my last doubles match. I lost my voice from screaming and supporting the team. I lost the last time as a team. I lost my job, but I’m very happy. I’m good. I’m really good. That’s the ironic part, is everybody thinks about happy fairy-tale endings, you know? And for me, actually it ended up being that but in a way that I never thought was going to happen," he said.