Hours before the start of the Davis Cup finals in Malaga, Rafael Nadal’s last professional tournament, his historic rival Roger Federer paid tribute this Tuesday (19) with a long and emotional letter on social media.
“What an incredible career you’ve had,” wrote the Swiss legend on the social network X. “You made Spain proud” and “you made the entire tennis world proud.”
Spain will open the Davis Cup quarter-finals against the Netherlands. Nadal will play the first of the three games in the match – there will be a second singles game and, if necessary to break the tie, a third doubles game.
“Come on, Rafa! As you prepare to retire from tennis, I have a few things to share before I get emotional,” begins Federer in his letter.
“Let’s start with the obvious: you beat me a lot, more than I could beat you. You challenged me in ways no one else could. On clay, I felt like I was entering your backyard,” he added.
“You made me work harder than I ever thought I could on my own to stay strong. You made me reimagine my game, even going so far as to change the size of my racket, hoping to gain some advantage,” he continued.
Federer, who will retire in 2022, built one of the greatest rivalries in the history of sport with Nadal.
Transformed into friends, they played together in doubles at Federer’s farewell, at the Laver Cup in London in September of that year. The photo of both of them crying on the bench remained for posterity.
“It meant everything to me that you were there by my side, not as my rival, but as my doubles partner,” Federer said in his letter about that moment.
“Sharing the court with you that night, and sharing those tears, will forever be one of the most special moments of my career,” he added.
In two decades, Nadal won 22 Grand Slam titles, while Federer won 20. Both were surpassed by Novak Djokovic, the third member of the so-called ‘Big 3’ and the only one who will remain active, who lifted 24 major trophies.
Federer acknowledged in his letter the impact that Nadal’s appearance had on his career: “After the 2004 Australian Open, I became world number 1 for the first time. I thought I was on top of the world.”
“And I was, until two months later, when you walked onto the court in Miami in your red tank top, showing your biceps, and beat me convincingly,” he added about his first duel against Nadal, who was 17 at the time.
The two legends faced each other in 40 matches, with a record of 24 victories for Nadal and 16 for Federer. In the Grand Slam finals, the Spaniard won six, against three for the Swiss.
Federer also recalled his participation in the inauguration of the Rafa Nadal Academy in 2016.
“Actually, I invited myself. I knew I was too polite to insist that I be there, but I didn’t want to miss it,” he said.
With Djokovic confirmed in Malaga to say goodbye to Nadal, Federer gave no clues in his letter about whether he will surprise his friend.
