Roger Federer gave his heartwarming salute to tennis at the Laver Cup, which ended with the first ever Team World victory. The Swiss champion tried to re-enter the Tour until the very end to finish in his style, but frequent knee problems eventually forced him not to go any further.
And the friendly competition that pits European tennis players against those from the rest of the world was, for Federer, the right scenario to end his glorious career. Among the many illustrious personalities, tennis players but not only, who wanted to dedicate a thought to the 20-time Grand Slam champion, there was also Chris Evert.
The former US champion, 18-time Major winner, wanted to pay homage to The Swiss Maestro in her own way, as Federer is nicknamed, shedding light on the affection and esteem that the Swiss has always enjoyed from his colleagues: “No champion has ever been as loved by his peers as Roger Federer.”
Nadal: “Challenges with Roger different from the others”
The last few days have been really important for Rafael Nadal. The Spanish tennis player participated in the Laver Cup 2022 in London, an event that saw him as a protagonist above all for the proximity and for the farewell match of his great friend and rival Roger Federer.
The two, protagonists of the famous Fedal, a historic rivalry that lasted about twenty years, played together in the last ever match of the Swiss. In addition to the great emotions, Nadal’s tears for the withdrawal of his great friend and colleague impressed, a fairly rare episode in the world of sport.
During a recent interview following the Laver Cup to Onda Cero, the Majorcan returned to the rivalry with Federer. Here are his words: “We have had a very important sporting rivalry over the years, but over time, especially since we are two people with a certain affinity, a great friendship was born.
As we got older a little we started to appreciate even more what we were experiencing. It is obvious that you want to win and do better than the other but afterwards we appreciated how our challenges were lived in a different way from everything else.
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The challenges between Roger and me were different than what happens in each challenge. That’s why they were special moments, we were able to live this rivalry well and understand that the personal relationship between us was more important than anything else.”
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