By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday November 19, 2024
Roger Federer is among the many tens of millions of tennis followers preserving an in depth eye on Rafael Nadal’s last skilled occasion this week. The Swiss took to X to pay tribute to the King of Clay, recalling the 20-year journey they took collectively and the way indomitable Nadal pushed Federer to a stage he by no means thought he might obtain.
“You beat me—rather a lot,” Federer wrote. “Greater than I managed to beat you. You challenged me in methods nobody else might. On clay, it felt like I used to be getting into your yard, and also you made me work tougher than I ever thought I might simply to carry my floor. You made me reimagine my sport—even going as far as to alter the dimensions of my racquet head, hoping for any edge.”
Vamos, @RafaelNadal!As you get able to graduate from tennis, I’ve received a couple of issues to share earlier than I possibly get emotional.
Let’s begin with the plain: you beat me—rather a lot. Greater than I managed to beat you. You challenged me in methods nobody else might. On clay, it felt like I…
— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) November 19, 2024
Federer, who gained 16 and misplaced 24 towards Nadal over the course of their illustrious rivalry, informed Nadl that he enhanced his appreciation for the game.
“Rafa, you made me benefit from the sport much more,” he wrote. “OK, possibly not at first. After the 2004 Australian Open, I achieved the No.1 rating for the primary time. I believed I used to be on high of the world. And I used to be—till two months later, whenever you walked on the court docket in Miami in your crimson sleeveless shirt, exhibiting off these biceps, and also you beat me convincingly. All that buzz I’d been listening to about you—about this wonderful younger participant from Mallorca, a generational expertise, most likely going to win a serious sometime—it wasn’t simply hype.
“We have been each at the beginning of our journey and it’s one we ended up taking collectively. Twenty years later, Rafa, I’ve to say: What an unimaginable run you’ve had. Together with 14 French Opens—historic! You made Spain proud… you made the entire tennis world proud.”
Lastly, Federer wished Nadal one of the best for the top of his profession, and what lies forward.
“Rafa, I do know you’re targeted on the final stretch of your epic profession,” he mentioned. “We’ll speak when it’s finished. For now, I simply need to congratulate your loved ones and workforce, who all performed a large position in your success. And I would like you to know that your previous buddy is at all times cheering for you, and will likely be cheering simply as loud for all the pieces you do subsequent.”
