Roger Federer may have retired from tennis but his influence and ability to awe fans have not diminished at all. As an active player, the Swiss maestro’s rivalry with Rafael Nadal was legendary. The two locked horns several times over the years and their matches always exceeded expectations.
Federer retired from the sport in 2022. However, he teamed up with his long-time rival for the last match of his professional career. The duo played at the Laver Cup and lost.
Roger recently opened up about Nadal in a video for Uniqlo. It is part of a series called ‘24 Hours with Roger‘. His confession about his fiercest rival came in the New York segment of the series.
A young tennis player asked Federer who was the hardest to play against. “I struggled against Rafa the most. Yeah, just because of his topspin and lefty, you know,” said the Swiss ace.
Federer taught the young talents how to serve well and seemed to have a great time imparting knowledge to them. The kids then took turns to play against Federer.
“It’s a great sport. You get great camaraderie. We see them smiling a lot. Yes, I also thought about hanging up the racket at certain moments in my career because losing is really frustrating,” he said.
Federer also opened up about having an incredible support system in his life. He said, “But then, you know you have your support team, you have your coach. Maybe you have your parents, a friend, they can all pick you up, you know, and they can keep you going.”
Roger Federer was celebrated throughout his career. He retired as one of the most decorated players of all time. With 20 Grand Slam titles to his name, Federer is one of the greatest players to have played the game.
Roger Federer’s rivalry with Rafael Nadal over the years
The two greats of the game were rivals on the court, but good friends off it. Rafa and Roger played against each other 40 times over the years, with Nadal leading the head-to-head 24-16.
On the tennis court, the ‘Fedal’ rivalry was legendary. It dominated and even transcended the sport for the better part of two decades.
They played off against each other for the first time in 2004 and have played some incredible matches since. The Wimbledon final of 2008 is particularly memorable.
While they were both giants of the game, Federer and Nadal were polar opposites. Where Roger was elegant, Nadal was all power. Federer was calm and collected but Rafa was ferocious.
Through it all, they forged a rivalry like no other. At the Laver Cup, Roger’s last match ever, they played together one last time as friends. It was a tearful affair for both of them.
This moment 😭 ❤️@rogerfederer @rafaelnadal pic.twitter.com/WTB59lHCWm
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) September 24, 2022
“When Roger leaves the tour, yeah, an important part of my life is leaving too. Because all the moments he has been next or in front of me in important moments of my life,” said an emotional Nadal.
Both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal made the game richer. At the heart of it, there was a mutual admiration for one another and it really came through. Roger Federer’s rivalry with Rafael Nadal defined this era and will be talked about for generations.