In a graceful note to Rafael Nadal following his announcement of his tennis retirement, Roger Federer called the Spaniard’s match an absolute honour.
In a video released earlier today, Nadal declared that he would officially retire from tennis after the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga this November, putting an end to months of speculation about his future.
After dominating the world rankings for 209 weeks and winning 22 Grand Slam singles titles, including a record-tying 14 French Open titles, the 38-year-old’s career will come to an end.
With 40 on-court meetings, Nadal and Federer’s rivalry was one of the most enduring aspects of both players’ careers before Federer retired in 2022. In their head-to-head match, the Spaniard prevailed 24–16; their most well-known matches were in the finals of the Australian Open in 2017 and Wimbledon in 2008.
Federer, a 20-time major winner, expressed his wish that this day would never arrive in an Instagram message to the Spaniard that was left in the comments of his retirement video.
Federer wrote: “What a career, Rafa. I always hoped this day would never come. Thank you for the unforgettable memories and all your incredible achievements in the game we love. It’s been an absolute honour!”
Roger Federer to Rafa Nadal after announcing his retirement from tennis.
Always supporting each other til the very end. 🥹 pic.twitter.com/qQNkCler2k
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) October 10, 2024
Rafael Nadal in 2024
Currently the world no.158, Rafael played his last match on the 29th of July when he capitulated to world no.4 Novak Djokovic 6-1 6-4 in the 2nd round in Paris (draw).
At present, during this year Nadal has achieved a composed 12-7 match record. Rafael Nadal’s best achievement of the current season was getting to the final in Bastad.
Rafael Nadal |
| Embed from Getty Images |
