Roger Federer thanked Rafael Nadal for the “nice words” the Spaniard delivered following his retirement announcement. Shortly after Federer revealed his plans to retire from tennis after the Laver Cup, Nadal paid a tribute to the Swiss in a lengthy Instagram post.
Nadal’s message to Federer was straight class. “Dear Roger, my friend and rival. I wish this day would have never come. it’s a sad day for me personally and for sports people around the world. I said it to you when we spoke and now it’s here.
It’s been a pleasure but also an honour and privilege to share all these years with you, living so many amazing moments on and off the court. We will have many more moments to share together in the future, there are still lots of things to do together, we know that.
For now, I truly wish you all the happiness with your wife, Mirka, your kids, your family and enjoy what’s ahead of you. I’ll see you in London at the @lavercup,” Nadal wrote on Instagram Story after Federer’s retirement announcement.
Federer’s response to Nadal
Federer reposted Nadal’s story and captioned it: “Thanks for the nice words, Rafa.” The Federer and Nadal rivarly will go down as one of the greatest rivalries in sports history.
Federer and Nadal clashed 40 times, with the Spaniard winning 24 of those 40 meetings. Over the course of their careers, they met numerous times on the biggest stage, in the latter stages of Grand Slams and Masters events.
At the Laver Cup, Federer and Nadal are set to be teammates on Team Europe. Three years ago, Federer and Nadal teamed up for doubles at the Laver Cup. It will be interesting to see if Federer and Nadal decide to again share the same side of the net in the Swiss’ final tournament.
