“The Swiss thanked the Spaniard for his sports career”, — write: sport.ua
The Swiss did not just thank his former visage, but wrote a whole chronology of their sports confrontation.
Federer’s letter of appeal to Nadal:
“Vamos, Rafa! As you prepare to end your career, I have something to say before I get too emotional.
Let’s start with the obvious: you beat me many times. More times than I could beat you. You challenged me like no one else could. On clay it felt like I came to your house, you made me work harder than I could have imagined just to stay in the match. You made me rethink my game. And it got so far that I was changing the size of the racket head in hopes of gaining some kind of advantage.
I’m not a very superstitious person, but you took it to the next level. Your whole process and all your rituals. The way you put water bottles like toy soldiers, fix your hair, shape. It’s all very intense. Secretly, I liked it all. Because it was so unique – it was so your style.
And, you know, Rafa, you made me enjoy the game even more.
Okay, maybe not from the beginning. After AO 2004, I became the first racket of the world for the first time. Then I felt like I was on top of the world. I was there – until two months later you walked onto the court in Miami in your red tank top, showing off all those biceps, beating me with confidence. And the buzz I’ve heard around you, that the unique young player from Mallorca is a generational talent who will one day win a major, if only we were both at the beginning of the journey and went through it together. After 20 years, Rafo, I have to say, “What an amazing career you’ve had.” 14 Roland Garros titles are history! You made Spain proud of you and the whole tennis world.
I keep thinking about our moments together. How we promoted sports together. That match was played on a clay-grass court in the Battle of the Surfaces. Records were broken for attendance at the match in front of more than 50,000 fans in Cape Town. How they made each other laugh all the time. Exhausting each other on the court and then, sometimes almost literally, supporting each other during award ceremonies.
I am still grateful to you for inviting me to Mallorca to open the 2016 academy. Although in general, I invited myself. I knew you were too polite to insist that I come, but I didn’t want to miss it. You have always been an example for children all over the world, so Mirka and I were very happy that all our children trained in your academies. They had a lot of fun and learned as much as thousands of other young players. Although I was worried that my kids would come home playing tennis like crazy.
Then there was the Laver Cup in London in 2022. My last match. It was most important for me that you were on my side not as a rival, but as a partner. Being able to share the court with you that night and those tears will always be one of the special moments of my career.
Rafa, I know you are focused on the last stretch of your career. We’ll talk when it passes. For now, I want to congratulate your family and team who have played an incredible role in your success. And I want you to know that your old friend is always rooting for you and will support you just as loudly in whatever you do in the future.
Best wishes, your fan”