On his social networks, Federer paid tribute to his greatest opponent during his career, before the latter retired at the end of the week.
Tribute from an icon to a legend. Rafael Nadal will play his last competition as a professional tennis player during the Davis Cup which is being played at home in Spain. For his last stand, his former great rival, Roger Federer, decided to publish a statement to pay a final tribute to the Mallorcan, with whom he had the chance to play his last doubles match at the Laver Cup in 2022 .
«You beat me – lots of times. More than I managed to beat you (17 victories for Federer against 30 for Nadal). You challenged me like no one else could. On the clay it felt like I was walking into your backyard, and you made me work harder than I ever thought I would, just to keep going (14 victories to 2 for Nadal). You made me reimagine my game, even changing the size of my racquet head, in hopes of finding an advantage» declared the winner of the 2014 Davis Cup with Switzerland.
“You made the tennis world proud”
«And you know what, Rafa, you made me appreciate the game even more. […] All that noise I’d heard about you – about this incredible young player from Mallorca, a generational talent, who was probably going to win a major tournament one day – wasn’t just hype. We were both at the beginning of our journey and it was a trip we ended up doing together. Twenty years later, Rafa, I must say… […] You made Spain proud… you made the tennis world proud. extended the winner to 20 Grand Slam titles.
A striking tribute from Roger Federer for Rafael Nadal who will play the last score of his career in Malaga, 20 years after winning his first Davis Cup at the age of 18.
