Roger Federer officially retired from the pro world after playing his doubles match with Rafael Nadal and received a heartfelt welcome from his teammates and the entire O2 Arena who couldn’t hold back their emotions as they watched the Swiss master himself burst into tears. He hasn’t had a fairytale farewell since they first lost the Laver Cup trophy to Team World.
Nadal and Federer have one of the biggest rivalries in tennis history. He talked about the most emotional nights that took him some time to be normal as he is a sensitive person. He also said how much he appreciates Federer’s presence in his life and the feeling of emptiness he will leave behind when he leaves the game.
Rafael Nadal was also inconsolable during the final farewell and held out with his friend and rival until they left the pitch together. Nadal had flown out to be part of the Laver Cup, especially for Federer’s farewell, and he was not in his best shape and there was a level of discomfort in his serving matches that could be due to his abdominal injury at Wimbledon and he doesn’t want to make things worse.
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Rafael Nadal retired from the Laver Cup after Roger Federer’s farewell party
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have been rivals for most of their time, but over time they have proven to be great friends off the pitch and have developed a special camaraderie between them in which they enjoy each other’s successes and have always mutually supported. When Federer’s children came to court to hug their emotional father, Nadal stayed by the family to comfort them as the situation became too overwhelming for the Federer family.
The 22-time solo Grand Slam champion withdrew his name from the 3-day event in London for personal reasons and returned home to be with his ill-healthed wife. It came as a surprise as Nadal had talked about being unsure of his schedule after his defeat in US Open 2022 because his presence mattered more to Federer since he requested his presence from the Spaniard in the last moments.
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