Roger Federer on Rafael Nadal’s retirement: ‘Thank you for the unforgettable memories’

They weren’t just rivals. Over time and years, with their duels and their records, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have become much more. Two legends, already. Then two friends, too, linked by memories that they created themselves. Like adults. Like two grown-ups. Their rivalry has entered the pantheon of sport. There was Ali-Frazier in boxing. There was Prost-Senna in F1. There was Nadal-Federer in tennis. An unparalleled era in the history of tennis which is coming to an end, with Novak Djokovic, arriving a little later in the fight, the last of the Mohicans.

This Thursday, the Spaniard decided to say stop. Tennis is over. For good. The end of a career and an era. For Federer too, ultimately. Already retired, he decided to comment on the video of the “Rafa” announcement on Instagram, before probably speaking at greater length on the subject during the day.

“What a career Rafa! I always hoped this day would never come. Thank you for the unforgettable memories and all your exploits in this game that we love. It was truly an honor“, wrote the Swiss among the thousands of comments provoked by this announcement. But his, inevitably, was one of the most “liked”, had more than 80,000 reactions at the beginning of the afternoon. These two have definitely crossed all eras.