The moment that all tennis fans had hoped wouldn’t come is finally approaching: the impending retirement of Rafael Nadal. The 22-time Grand Slam champion is on the verge of playing the final professional tournament of his illustrious career at the Davis Cup Finals this week.
Nadal has carved out a nearly unparallelled career, winning the French Open a ridiculous 14 times and capturing the US Open on four occasions. He won the Australian Open and Wimbledon twice each and secured a gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
Fellow all-time great Roger Federer — who won 20 Grand Slams of his own before retiring in 2022 — is giving the Spaniard his flowers ahead of his retirement. The Swiss superstar penned an emotional tribute to his longtime rival and good friend on Tuesday.
“As you get ready to graduate from tennis, I’ve got a few things to share before I maybe get emotional,” Federer wrote on X. “Let’s start with the obvious: you beat me—a lot. More than I managed to beat you. You challenged me in ways no one else could. On clay, it felt like I was stepping into your backyard, and you made me work harder than I ever thought I could just to hold my ground. You made me reimagine my game—even going so far as to change the size of my racquet head, hoping for any edge.”
Federer shared multiple tennis memories the duo made together over their epic careers in the lengthy message. Nadal and Federer created one of the most exciting and intense rivalries in the history of the sport; the two played 40 times professionally, with Nadal winning 24 of those matches. But Federer won seven of the last eight meetings between the two, including their last, the 2019 Wimbledon semifinal.
Rafael Nadal played doubles with Roger Federer in his last match
The last official match that Nadal and Federer played together was at the Laver Cup in London in 2022, when they were doubles partners on Team Europe.
“And then there was London—the Laver Cup in 2022,” Federer wrote. “My final match. It meant everything to me that you were there by my side—not as my rival but as my doubles partner. Sharing the court with you that night, and sharing those tears, will forever be one of the most special moments of my career.”
Nadal is now in the midst of his final tennis tournament; Spain is participating in the Davis Cup Finals in his hometown of Malaga from November 19-24.
He’s helped his country win the tournament four times, and he’ll play singles against the Netherland’s Botic van de Zandschulp in the quarter finals as the quest for five begins on Tuesday.
“Rafa, I know you’re focused on the last stretch of your epic career,” Federer wrote in closing. “We will talk when it’s done. For now, I just want to congratulate your family and team, who all played a massive role in your success. And I want you to know that your old friend is always cheering for you, and will be cheering just as loud for everything you do next.”
Tennis has been missing something without Roger Federer, and the sport will be without another piece after Rafael Nadal’s emotional farewell this week.
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