MÁLAGA, Spain (AP) — Roger Federer bid farewell to Rafael Nadal with an emotional letter in which he expressed that his friend and opponent made him enjoy tennis “even more” during a rivalry that spanned 40 matches over 15 years.
The message was spread on social media on Tuesday, hours before the start of the final phase of the Davis Cup, Nadal's last tournament before retiring.
What did Federer's message to Nadal say?
Federer started his message with the word "Let's" and expressed: "As you prepare to graduate from tennis, I have a few things to share before I maybe get emotional."
“Let's start with the obvious: you beat me — by a lot. More than I ever managed to beat you. You challenged me in ways that no one else could,” Federer said. “On clay, it felt like I was entering your backyard, and you made me work harder than I ever thought I could just to keep my position.”
"You made me reimagine my game - even going as far as changing the size of my racket head, hoping for any advantage," he added.
Federer, now 43 years old, had established himself as the number 1 in the rankings when Nadal, now 38, burst onto the scene. The Swiss star began his career with a 7-0 record in Grand Slam finals before suffering his first defeat in that stage against Nadal in the final of the 2006 French Open, the first of his three consecutive finals in Paris, all with the same result.
Nadal also defeated Federer in the 2008 Wimbledon final, preventing his attempt to win a sixth consecutive championship at the All England Club.
In total, Nadal dominated the head-to-head record 26-14, including 10-4 in Grand Slam tournaments and 6-3 in Grand Slam finals.
Even so, Federer told Nadal in his post, referring to him by the nickname Rafa: "You made me enjoy the game even more."
Together they formed the "Big Three" of men's tennis along with Novak Djokovic, who is still active at 37 years old and holds the record for men with his 24 titles in the Grand Slam tournaments. Nadal is second on the list with 22, followed by Federer with 20.
"How incredible a career you've had!" Federer posted. "Including 14 French Opens - historic! You made Spain proud... you made the entire tennis world proud."
When Federer retired from the sport while playing a doubles match at the Laver Cup in September 2022, his partner was Nadal. Afterwards, the two sat next to each other, crying.
"It meant everything to me that you were there by my side - not as my rival but as my doubles partner," Federer wrote on Tuesday. "Sharing the court with you that night, and sharing those tears, will forever be one of the most special moments of my career."
When is Rafael Nadal's last match?
The Spanish team of Nadal faced the Netherlands on Tuesday in the quarterfinals of the Davis Cup, in Malaga.
The Mallorcan was scheduled for the first match against Botic van de Zandschulp. The defeat will mark the end of a historic career, even if Spain manages to advance to the semifinals.