A message as beautiful and moving as their battles on the tennis courts. A few hours before a duel of Davis Cup which could be the last professional match for Rafael Nadal, his great historical rival Roger Federer said on X on Tuesday that the Majorcan had “made the whole tennis world proud”.
“You made me work harder than I could have ever imagined. You forced me to reinvent my game. You made me appreciate tennis even more. What an incredible career you’ve had,” congratulated the former Swiss world No.1 on the social network. “You’ve made Spain proud… you’ve made the whole tennis world proud”, he complimented him again, two years after becoming the first player in the Big 3 (Federer, Nadal and Novak Djokovic) to put away his rackets.
“One of the most beautiful moments of my career”.
Referring to his own farewell in London, where he played doubles and cried with the Spaniard, Federer said on Tuesday that this day in 2022 “will forever remain one of the most beautiful moments of my career”.
“Rafa, I know you’re focused on the home stretch of your extraordinary career” with a Davis Cup quarter-final against the Netherlands scheduled for Tuesday in Malaga. “We’ll talk once it’s over,” wrote the Swiss legend, winner of 20 Grand Slams, without confirming his presence at Nadal’s farewell in Malaga.
“Your old friend is always there to cheer you on”.
“I still think back to the memories we shared. That match on a half grass, half clay court. That record crowd when we played in front of over 50,000 spectators in Cape Town, South Africa. All the times we exhausted each other on the court, sometimes to the point of literally having to support each other during the trophy ceremony,” Federer enumerated.
“I just want you to know that your old friend is always there to encourage you, and will encourage you just as much in whatever you undertake after” a 23-year professional career marked by 22 Grand Slam titles, including a record 14 at Roland Garros.