Málaga – Roger Federer he said goodbye to Rafael Nadal with an emotional letter in which he expressed that his friend and opponent made him enjoy tennis “even more” during a rivalry which covered 40 games over 15 years.
In the message spread on social networks on Tuesday, hours before the start of the final phase of the Davis Cup, Nadal’s last tournament before retiring, Federer began his message with the word “Let’s go” and expressed: “As you prepare to graduating from tennis, I have a few things to share before maybe getting excited.”
“Let’s start with the obvious: you beat me… a lot. More than I managed to win from you. “You challenged me in ways no one else could,” Federer said. “On clay, it felt like I was walking into your backyard, and you made me work harder than I ever thought I could just to hold my own.”
“You made me reimagine my game — even going so far as to change the size of my racket, hoping for any advantage,” he added.
Federer, now 43, had established himself at No. 1 in the rankings when Nadal, now 38, burst in. The Swiss star began his career with a 7-0 record in Grand Slam finals before suffering his first defeat in that instance against Nadal in the 2006 French Open final, the first of his three consecutive finals in Paris — all with the same result.
Nadal also defeated Federer in the 2008 Wimbledon final, preventing his bid for a sixth consecutive championship at the All England Club.
In total, Nadal dominated 26-14 in direct history, including 10-4 in Grand Slam tournaments and 6-3 in Grand Slam finals.
Still, Federer held up Nadal in his post, referring to him by the nickname Rafa: “You made me enjoy the game even more.”
Together they formed the “Big Three” (The Big Three) of men’s tennis along with Novak Djokovicwho is still active at 37 years old and is the owner of the men’s record with his 24 titles in major events. Nadal is the second on the list with 22, followed by Federer with 20.
“What an incredible career you have had!” Federer posted. “Including 14 French Opens — historic! “You made Spain proud… you made the entire tennis world proud.”
When Federer left the sport playing a doubles match at the Laver Cup in September 2022, his partner was Nadal. The two sat next to each other afterwards, crying.
“It meant everything to me that you were there by my side — not as my opponent but as my doubles partner,” Federer wrote on Tuesday. “Sharing the court with you that night, and sharing those tears, will forever be one of the most special moments of my career.”
