“They’re both going to miss him tremendously,” Mats Wilander discusses the impact of Roger Federer’s retirement on Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic
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Rafael Nadal. Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic
Roger Federer has finally decided to call it a day on his tennis career after 24 long years. Federer announced the heartbreaking news on his social media handles and is now talking point around the globe. Tributes have been pouring in for him non-stop.
Federer last featured in a quarter-final defeat at the 2021 Wimbledon Championships where he injured his knee. He has undergone three surgeries after that. He is scheduled to play the 2022 Laver Cup next week, which will be his farewell tournament.
“They will miss him a lot more on the court than off the court”: Mats Wilander on Roger Federer’s retirement
At the Laver Cup, Federer will join the Big 3 — Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in what will be the first and the only time the trio will be teammates instead of rivals on the Tour. With Federer stepping away, 7-time major winner Mats Wilander talked about the consequence of Federer’s retirement on Nadal and Djokovic.
“Yeah, I think that maybe they will miss him a lot more on the court than off the court. I think on the court they will miss him because he always posed a problem. He was a problem. So over the years, I think both Rafa and Novak knew that they had to not only hit the ball well but that they’re in it for it’s a problem-solving situation.
“Roger can take the racquet out of their hand for a certain period of time. But then he can be there even when he’s not playing well so I think that yes, they won’t have that opponent with that familiar problem to solve. Week in and week out. And of course, it hasn’t happened in the last couple of years, but I think they were hoping to carry on.
Wilander continued, “We famously remember John McEnroe, saying that he never ever reached the same level of intensity once Bjorn Borg quit. And I think for Rafa, especially for Rafa, I think there is something that’s going to feel empty to him because his greatness was built upon the rivalry with Roger Federer.
“Without Roger, Rafa would have been most probably known as a clay court player. Roger took him to the level of ‘okay, I want to be able to compete with the greatest player of all time’ who is Roger Federer, and then Rafa did that for Novak having no luck has just lost one of his opponents that he loves to play against. And they’re both going to miss him, I think tremendously.
“I don’t think it’s going to make either of them more popular because Roger Federer is gone. I think Roger Federer takes his popularity with him. I don’t know if the people that have been Roger Federer fans are completely devoted to Roger,” said Wilander speaking with Eurosport.
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Sarthak Shitole
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