‘Rafa, you made me enjoy the game even more’: Federer’s emotional letter for retiring Nadal

New Delhi: Swiss tennis great Roger Federer wrote an emotional letter for his close friend Rafael Nadal as the Spaniard tennis ace is set to bid adieu to the sport. Nadal, known for his dominance on the clay courts of Roland Garros, is set to retire after the Davis Cup drawing curtains to his remarkable career, which saw him win 22 Grand Slam titles.

The Spaniard will be the second of the ‘Big three’ of tennis to hang up his racket next to fellow legend Federer, who retired in 2022. Federer and Nadal forged the most celebrated rivalry in sports history, amassing a staggering 42 Grand Slam titles between them. While Federer has a record eight Wimbledon titles on grass, Nadal has an incredible 14 French Open titles on clay, which has also earned him the nickname ‘King of Clay’, a record that may never be broken.

“As you get ready to graduate from tennis, I’ve got a few things to share before I maybe get emotional. Let’s start with the obvious: you beat me—a lot. More than I managed to beat you. You challenged me in ways no one else could. On clay, it felt like I was stepping into your backyard, and you made me work harder than I ever thought I could just to hold my ground. You made me reimagine my game—even going so far as to change the size of my racquet head, hoping for any edge,” Federer wrote in a letter, he shared on social media. “I’m not a very superstitious person, but you took it to the next level. Your whole process. All those rituals. Assembling your water bottles like toy soldiers in formation, fixing your hair, adjusting your underwear… All of it with the highest intensity. Secretly, I kind of loved the whole thing. Because it was so unique—it was so you.

“And you know what, Rafa, you made me enjoy the game even more. “OK, maybe not at first. After the 2004 Australian Open, I achieved the #1 ranking for the first time. I thought I was on top of the world. And I was—until two months later, when you walked on the court in Miami in your red sleeveless shirt, showing off those biceps, and you beat me convincingly. All that buzz I’d been hearing about you—about this amazing young player from Mallorca, a generational talent, probably going to win a major someday—it wasn’t just hype.

“We were both at the start of our journey and it’s one we ended up taking together. Twenty years later, Rafa, I have to say: What an incredible run you’ve had. Including 14 French Opens—historic! You made Spain proud… you made the whole tennis world proud. “I keep thinking about the memories we’ve shared. Promoting the sport together. Playing that match on half-grass, half-clay. Breaking the all-time attendance record by playing in front of more than 50,000 fans in Cape Town, South Africa. Always cracking each other up. Wearing each other out on the court and then, sometimes, almost literally having to hold each other up during trophy ceremonies. “I’m still grateful you invited me to Mallorca to help launch the Rafa Nadal Academy in 2016. Actually, I kind of invited myself. I knew you were too polite to insist on me being there, but I didn’t want to miss it. You have always been a role model for kids around the world, and Mirka and I are so glad that our children have all trained at your academies. They had a blast and learned so much—like thousands of other young players. Although I always worried my kids would come home playing tennis as lefties,” the letter read.

Despite their rivalry on court, the duo are close friends off it. Nadal sat right beside Federer, both in tears, holding each other’s hand as the latter bid farewell to professional tennis two years back at the Laver Cup in London. “And then there was London—the Laver Cup in 2022. My final match. It meant everything to me that you were there by my side—not as my rival but as my doubles partner. Sharing the court with you that night, and sharing those tears, will forever be one of the most special moments of my career,” it concluded.

-IANS