TENNIS
Roger Federer’s reaction to Rafa Nadal’s retirement
The Swiss tennis player paid tribute to Rafa Nadal after he announced his retirement, both men having one of the great rivalries.
The announcement of Rafa Nadal’s retirement at the end of the season has grabbed the attention of the entire sporting world. This is particularly acute in the tennis community, which is witnessing one of its legendary figures, a winner of 22 Grand Slam titles – 14 of them at Roland Garros – announce that he will put his racket away for good, after one final performance with Spain at the Davis Cup Finals.
Nadal follows Federer out the tennis greats door
With this decision, Nadal will become the second member of the so-called ‘Big Three’ – who have dominated tennis for the past 20 years – to retire, following Roger Federer’s farewell at the 2022 Laver Cup after that iconic doubles match alongside Nadal. This just leaves Novak Djokovic from the three on the circuit in 2025.
Federer himself wanted to comment on Nadal’s retirement. In the video published by Nadal on his Instagram account announcing the news, Federer shared an emotional message for his great rival and close friend.
“What a career, Rafa! I always hoped this day would never come. Thank you for the unforgettable memories and all your incredible achievements in the game we love. It’s been an absolute honor!”
Tributes pour in for Rafa Nadal
Another quick to react to Rafa’s retirement was Australian Nick Kyrgios, who had a complex relationship with the Spaniard through numerous encounters, starting when Kyrgios surprised him at Wimbledon in 2014. He began his tribute to Nadal with this request: “Rafa don’t retire I wanna play with you 1 last time,” before candidly reflecting on their matches. “We had our differences but you were one hell of a warrior. Best wishes and goodluck with whatever comes next.”
As if that weren’t enough, Kyrgios made another confession about his relationship with Nadal just hours later, admitting that every time he faced the Spaniard, it gave him nightmares.
“Damn. I’ve had nightmares that have woke me up about Rafa I’m gonna miss them. This was someone that I used to prepare for he was a motivation - I guess an inspiration. Fuck - it’s true- people do bring the best out of you. You were one of those people damn…..”