Roger FedererThe retirement of tennis, precisely on the occasion of the Laver Cup in September in London, provided some truly unique moments in the history of the Game, with many champions and rivals on the court greeting the Swiss tennis player.
A truly wordless farewell ceremony, with tears from the Belgrade native himself but also from the other two members of the Big Three, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
Rafael Nadal: «Roger Federer’s farewell was a sad but emotional day»
The Spanish number 2 in the ATP ranking recalled what happened a few months ago in London, in an interview with Marca: «Roger’s withdrawal was a sad and emotional day at the same time.
I think he’s one of the great icons in the history of sports in general, so it’s been a difficult time not only as a rival and partner, but also as a tennis lover. The same thing happened with Pau Gasol or Zidane and it will happen with Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
They are people you have grown up with all your life, sharing moments and watching them on television, making them almost like a family. And when they retire, like Roger did, you know you’ll never see them play again.» On the subject of retirements, Rafa later added: «As for my retirement, I don’t see it for a simple fact: I’m not from those who try to guess, predict or prepare the future, because things change very quickly.
I know that time is closer than last year, for sure, and two years ago. This is pure logic. But in the end it is something that when it has to happen, it will happen. I wish it was on a tennis court, yes!» On the proposal or provocation of playing the last game at the Bernabéu against Carlos Alcaraz, he replied: «I am not capable of talking about it» Nadal will be among the main stars, with Djokovic and Alcaraz , at the highly anticipated Australian Open 2023, which will begin on January 16, 2023.
