Toni Nadal believes Roger Federer will retire on his own terms, hopes the Swiss will bid farewell to each Slam individually when the time comes
In his latest column for El Pais, Toni Nadal weighed in on Roger Federer's defeat to Hubert Hurkacz in the Wimbledon quarterfinals and what the future holds for the Swiss. The Spaniard believes Federer will soon be back on his feet, and that he hasn't bid farewell to his fans at SW19 just yet.
Federer put in an extremely lackluster display against Hurkacz and succumbed to a 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-0 defeat. The Swiss maestro was subsequently asked whether he would contemplate retiring in the near future, considering his chances of winning a Major continue to dwindle.
Toni Nadal, who was Rafael Nadal's coach for more than a decade, drew parallels between Federer's defeat and his nephew's loss to Novak Djokovic in the Roland Garros semifinals a few weeks ago.
"It is clear that for both Roger and Rafa, their respective defeats are somewhat more harrowing than in any other setting," Toni Nadal wrote in his column. "And, hence the tone of the Swiss in the press conference that followed the match against the Pole, who not only eliminated him from the British Grand Slam but also did so with a resounding result."
Toni added that Federer "did well" by giving a non-committal answer regarding his future, as he needed to discuss the situation with his team.
"When asked by journalists if that had been his last match on the grass in London, Federer did not clear up the unknowns. He expressed his need to value and think, and I think he did well," Toni wrote.
Toni then said he hoped Federer would bid goodbye to each of the four Grand Slams properly when the time comes.
"I believe that he, as well as Novak and Rafael, will decide to retire the day they feel they have no chance of victory. When Roger decides that that day has come, hopefully he will do so by saying goodbye one by one and, at least, of the four Grand Slams," Toni wrote.
"Both he and his millions of followers deserve another meeting in which they can dedicate the ovation and tribute to him for all that he has meant for our sport."
Nothing will be able to diminish Roger Federer's impact on tennis: Toni Nadal
Roger Federer has been repeatedly questioned by the press about his future in the sport despite still being a contender for the big titles. Uncle Toni said he had seen several headlines that painted Federer in a bad light after his Wimbledon loss. But the Spaniard admitted he no longer paid attention to them.
"On different occasions, I have heard the argument that the great stars of sports should retire while they are still able to maintain a high position so as not to tarnish their good reputation," he wrote.
"I do not agree with this statement, since I have never been left with the image of a great champion at the time of his decline. And to those who do it, at the very least, it is necessary to point out their mistake."
"After a brief review of yesterday's press, I pick up the following headlines: “Hurkacz throws Federer a donut ”, “Federer expelled from the temple of tennis”, “Federer breaks in three sets”, “Hurkacz threw the king out of his kingdom ”. Of course, I no longer read any of the texts."
Toni ended his column by claiming Federer's legacy would not be diminished regardless of the manner in which he ends his career.
"Regardless of the end of his tennis career, nothing and nobody will be able to taint the prestige that the great Swiss tennis player has given to the history of tennis. I wish him, of course, one more time with all of us and, above all, a farewell tour so that the fans of the big tournaments can show him, once again, their great affection and admiration."