WATCH: Rafael Nadal speaks about the special camaraderie between him and Roger Federer, calls himself ‘fortunate’
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Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal played in the doubles match on the first day with Roger Federer who retired from the professional world post the match. His coming down to play at the Laver Cup was a bit of a surprise since he had expressed his concerns regarding the unassertiveness of his schedule and giving his time and attention to his personal issues which have been stressful.
Nadal upon being asked about the message he wants to send to Federer, instantly said “Giving a message for Roger is difficult. What I can say except congratulations. Privileged to be on the Tour and enjoy so many moments together“. The Spaniard expressed being privileged to share the stage with him for so many years and especially be there in the final moments.
Nadal was just in admiration and heaped in praises for the Swiss maestro as he drew curtains on his career with 20 Grand Slam singles titles. Nadal even wished him luck for the new beginnings post his retirement and enjoying his new life with his family and friends and giving his health the top-most priority. He even longed for being in touch always and hoped to see him soon.
Rafael Nadal withdrew from the Laver Cup citing personal reasons
The 22-time Grand Slam champion withdrew from the Laver Cup after the first day of the three-day event citing personal stress as some things require his utmost attention. Nadal and Federer share one of the biggest rivalries in the history of the sport but that developed into great admiration and respect for each other over the years.
Nadal also got emotional and shared about the sense of vacuum that will be there with Federer‘s retirement. He had said, “An important part of my life is leaving with time” as he had always found Federer the ultimate person at matches over the past two years.
He expressed his feelings about the special bond with Federer saying “Having somebody like Roger that I feel confident to talk about any personal thing, it’s something that it’s very beautiful after all the things that we shared together and all the important things that we fought for such a long time“. The Spaniard legend’s quest for achieving his third Grand Slam singles title of the year in a row ended with his withdrawal at Wimbledon due to his abdominal injury.
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