Two years ago they shared a snapshot that went around the world. Roger Federer, heartbroken because he was living his last moments as a professional on a tennis court, was accompanied on the bench by Rafael Nadal who shared his tears and feelings and tried to console him.
In this October 2024, it is Nadal who receives the excited message from the Swiss in response to his retirement.
«What a race, Rafa! I always wished this moment would never come. Thank you for the lasting memories and all the incredible achievements you achieved in the sport we love. “It has been an absolute honor!” wrote Federer.
The Spaniard and the Swiss have shared forty matches on the court, all full of passion, respect and praise for tennis, as they made each other better by displaying their best tricks every time they crossed paths on the circuit. It was Nadal who managed to defeat the Swiss on 24 occasions, compared to 16 victories for the Swiss. In many of those matches, the result was almost the least important, since they expanded with the best they had, so each match was a spectacle, no matter who won.
The Balearic player started strong, as he beat the Swiss in their first meeting, in Miami 2004. More than a change of era, it was the beginning of a wonderful rivalry that cemented their own legends. Every time they faced each other it was an event. The adrenaline increased because many of those battles were fought in the finals (24), because for a long time they were the ones who led tennis, overcoming rivals from all generations and keeping alive a competitive spirit that multiplied on each occasion.
This coincidence on the courts and in the exhibitions (both fought the match on surfaces, on half clay for the Spaniard; on half grass for the Swiss), also built a friendship that went beyond the racket and any eventuality. They shared mutual joys, like Nadal’s tears when Federer won his first (and only) Roland Garros, also ailments, like in 2016 in which the Swiss accompanied Nadal to the inauguration of his academy, and thousands of moments that remain for always in their tennis and personal records.
«It is a sad day for me and for the entire sport. “It has been a pleasure, but also an honor and a privilege to share all these years with you, experiencing incredible moments on and off the court,” the Spaniard wrote to the Swiss in 2022. Now, the message and sentiment fly in the other direction: “Thank you for the unforgettable memories and for all your incredible achievements in the sport we love. “It has been an absolute honor.”
