"Such a sweet, genuine moment" - Chris Evert recalls Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal shedding tears at Swiss' Laver Cup farewell
Former tennis player Chris Evert recently recalled Roger Federer's farewell match at the 2022 Laver Cup, saying that the Swiss shedding tears alongside Rafael Nadal at the event was a "sweet, genuine moment."
For the final match of his career, Federer partnered with the Spaniard in London to square off against Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe. While the duo lost the match 4-6, 7-6(2), 11-9, they won the hearts of tennis fans as they shared several heartwarming moments with each other.
The Swiss maestro was in tears after the match. Nadal, who sat beside him, was unable to control his emotions either.
Recalling the incident, Evert said that she missed their presence on the tour.
"Such a sweet, genuine moment… really miss these two…," she wrote in her tweet.
Federer, a 20-time Grand Slam champion, bid farewell to tennis even as teammates Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Casper Ruud, Matteo Berrettini, Cameron Norrie, and Stefanos Tsitsipas embraced him with tears in their eyes. However, it was Nadal who appeared the most emotional on the occasion.
Reflecting on the farewell, the Spaniard stated that it was a huge honor for him to be part of such an "amazing moment in the history of the sport."
"For me, have been huge honor to be a part of this amazing moment of the history of our sport, and at the same time, a lot of years sharing a lot of things together. Yeah, difficult to describe. But, yeah, amazing moment," he said at the post-match press conference.
Picture of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal crying at Laver Cup wins Sony ITPA Photo of the Year award
A picture of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal shedding tears and holding hands at the 2022 Laver Cup, clicked by Ella Ling, recently won the Sony ITPA Photo of the Year award.
Ling covered the Laver Cup as a freelance photographer. Taking to social media on Monday, July 17, she shared her excitement about winning the award, adding that the image is forever engraved in her memory.
"Very thankful to be awarded with ‘Sony ITPA Photo of the Year’. I think this image is now engraved on my memory forever," read Ling's tweet.
Federer and Nadal faced each other 40 times on the tour, with the head-to-head standing at 24-16 in favor of the Spaniard. Despite holding a fierce rivalry on the court, the two have always maintained mutual respect for each other off it.