A previously unseen video from the Laver Cup where Roger Federer’s dad Robert is seen asking for Rafael Nadal while trying to find him and then finally giving him a hug is going viral.
Fans on Twitter welcomed the gesture heartwarmingly by praising the two families saying Federer’s parents almost treat Nadal like a son, adding that Nadal’s family reciprocates the same with Federer’s.
Swiss great and 20-time Grand Slam singles champion Federer recently retired from the sport of tennis but not before an emotional farewell at the O2 Arena in London where he was carried atop the shoulders by both Team Europe and Team World players. Even though Team Europe later lost the Laver Cup for the first time in the tournament’s history, Federer said he was quite happy with how things turned out.
Fans on Twitter also shared more old pictures from Federer and Nadal’s family association.
Some fans also lauded Robert Federer for praising Nadal even when he beat his son at the 2008 Wimbledon final.
Roger Federer says he will never forget what Rafael Nadal did
Recently, Federer revealed how rival Rafael Nadal told him over the phone that he would do everything he could do be with him during retirement at the Laver Cup, despite suffering from a horrible injury.
“I called him after the US Open – I waited for him to finish this tournament – just to tell him of my decision to retire. I just wanted to let him know before he starts making plans without the Laver Cup. I told him on the phone that I was probably 50–50 or 60–40 away from doing double. I said, ‘Listen, I’ll let you know. You tell me how it goes at home. And we’ll get in touch again. But it soon became clear over the phone, and Rafa said to me, ‘I’m going to do everything I can to be there with you.’ And that was obviously amazing to me,” Federer told the New York Times.
“And it showed once again how important we are to each other and how much we respect each other. And I thought that would be a great, amazing story for us, for sports, for tennis, and maybe even beyond, where we could coexist in tough rivalry and emerge victorious and show that, again, this is just tennis. Yes, it’s hard, and it’s brutal at times, but it’s always fair. And you can come out the other side and still have this great friendly rivalry.” he added.
Also Read: Rafael Nadal archives Laver Cup uniform in memory of Roger Federer at the Rafa Nadal Museum
