Federer told Trevor Noah on The Daily Show that Rafael Nadal declared that he would go to any lengths necessary to attend the Laver Cup for what would have been his farewell. Nadal’s wife, who was expecting at the time, was admitted to the hospital while he was in New York due to minor complications.
Nadal said he was unsure of when he would play again in 2022 after finishing his US Open run. However, shortly after, Federer called Nadal and asked to speak with him directly regarding his decision to retire following the Laver Cup. Federer called Nadal and asked if he would be interested in playing doubles with him in his final match. Nadal knew there was no way he could miss the Laver Cup and Federer’s farewell after hearing the news from Federer.
“I had to call him and tell him, hey Rafa, just before we make any other plans, I would love you to be at the Laver Cup and play maybe one last doubles with me. In the world.
He’s like ‘oh yeah, oh my god, I’ll be there, whatever it takes.’ He’s now become a father. I’m so happy for him. And we were not sure if he was going to make it because of the baby. When he showed up, and Novak was there, and Murray was there and Bjorn Borg was there and everybody was there.
It was an amazing moment and then I knew it was going to be incredibly emotional. I was so happy.”
Rafael Nadal in 2022
Currently ranked no.2, the Spaniard played his last match on the 17th of November when he overcame world no.3 Casper Ruud 7-5 7-5 in the round robin in the Nitto ATP Finals (draw).
At the moment, during this season Nadal achieved a composed 39-8 match record. The Spaniard has won 4 titles in 2022 in Melbourne, Australian Open, Acapulco and French Open. The Spaniard reached the final in Indian Wells.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal fought against each other 40 times. Their current record is 24-16 for Nadal. Previously, the last time they played, Roger Federer won 7-6(3) 1-6 6-3 6-4 in the semifinal in London (Wimbledon) in July 2019.
You can see them in action in the following highlights.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal |
| Embed from Getty Images |
