Sports Writing (EFE).- The switzerland roger federerwho retired from tennis last week at the Laver Cup in London, underlined the deep mutual respect between him and the Spaniard Rafa Nadal, and considered that their relationship is an example that goes “beyond” the sport, because it shows that it is possible to coexist. in a “tough rivalry”.
He did so in an interview published by the New York Times in which He reviewed his thanks to Nadal for appearing last week at the Laver Cup in London in the doubles match that officially ended his storied career.
“Rafa told me ‘I will do everything I can to be there with you’. And it was amazing for me, it showed once again what we mean to each other, and the respect we have for each other. I thought it would be good, a great story for us, for sport, for tennis and maybe even beyond,” he said.
“We were able to coexist in a tough rivalry and come out of it and show once again that it’s just tennis. It’s tough, brutal at times, but there’s always respect. And you can get out of that and have this great friendship in the rivalry,” he added.
Federer pointed out that his career It ended “even better than I thought” and he will “never” forget what Nadal did for him in London.
A memorable farewell
In his moving farewell, he highlighted the moment when Federer grabbed Nadal’s hand, both of them crying sitting on his bench.
“You almost forget that they take pictures of you. I think there was a time when I couldn’t speak because there was music playing and I touched his hand, I think maybe it was a secret ‘thank you’,” he said. said Federer.
In the interview, the 41-year-old Swiss also admitted that before making the decision to retire, he dreamed of being able to play tennis again, but his knee continued to give him problems.
“Over time, I saw fewer and fewer options because my knee was giving me problems. And at that point I said ‘ok, I accept’. Because I felt that I had given everything, that I had nothing more to prove,” he said.
Web editor: Juan David Mosos