Rafael Nadal on Roger Federer’s retirement decision: Wish this day would have never come

Rafael Nadal has reacted to the retirement announcement by his fiercest on-court rival, Roger Federer, with whom he shared a warm friendship off-court. The rivalry between these two tennis greats is one of the defining factors of 21st century tennis. 

In his note to the Swiss legend on his retirement, the winner of the highest number of Grand Slams in men’s tennis said, ”

Dear Roger, my friend and rival. I wish this day would have never come… it’s a sad day for me personally and for sports people around the world. I said it to you when we spoke and now it’s here.”

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Rafa further added that it was a pleasure for him to have been able to share so many iconic moments with Federer on the court. He believes that the two of them will have a lot more to share together in the coming years. 

The 14-time French Open champion wished Federer and his family “all the happiness” and pointed out that he’ll meet the 41-year-old at the Laver Cup in London. 

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Check out Rafa’s post right here:

The Rafa-Roger rivaly has given tennis some of its most memorable moments of the last two decades. From the epic 2008 Wimbledon final that stretched on for 4 hours and 48 minutes to the 2017 Australian Open final that Federer won after trailing in the fith set- they have set the stage on fire whenever they met.

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The legacy the two of them has created can be compared to that of the Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Lionel Messi rivalry in football and the Joe Frazier vs. Muhammad Ali rivalry in boxing. Rafa and Roger have won a total of 42 Grand Slams between them, played nine Grand Slam finals against each other, and have finished six consecutive years (2005-2010) as the top two (in world rankings) tennis players on the ATP tour.