Roger Federer remained in close contact with tennis even after his retirement from professional activity in 2022. The former Swiss champion - who has had several knee problems in the last two years of his legendary career - played his last match at the Laver Cup at the O2 Arena in London, receiving a truly moving tribute from fans and his biggest rivals.
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The retirement of the King marked the end of an era and all fans had to get used to a tennis without the Swiss Maestro. The 20-time Grand Slam champion has had an impact that goes far beyond tennis, becoming a global icon and an idol athlete in every corner of the world.
The Swiss is enjoying life, spending a lot of time with his family and doing many activities with his sponsors. Federer was at the Uber Arena in Berlin for the 2024 edition of the Laver Cup, where he announced that the event will soon move to South America and Asia. The experts are convinced that Roger will become the captain of Team Europe in a few years, even if the Swiss legend has not wanted to overturn on this subject. Meanwhile, this week has come the news of the imminent retirement of his eternal rival Rafael Nadal.
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A great friendship
Federer has dedicated a wonderful message to his great friend Rafa after the announcement of his retirement, which will take place at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga in November. The two champions created an epic rivalry that transcended tennis, dividing fans into factions and generating a cheer that had never been seen in the history of this sport.
"What a career, Rafa! I always hoped this day would never come. Thank you for the unforgettable memories and all your incredible achievements in the sport we love. It was an absolute honor" Federer wrote on social media. He also reflected on the changing of the guard: "You can feel the changing of the guard. Serena Williams and Andy Murray retiring, Rafa getting closer. Novak obviously having a difficult year overall, but then winning the Olympics and claiming what he always wanted to do, that hard-to-reach Olympic gold. That was amazing for him.
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So, yes, you feel everything is changing and Sinner and Alcaraz each winning two Slams, that shows you that the wave is really coming now. The changes are happening and they are consistent, they are fantastic to watch. Seeing Alcaraz live at the Laver Cup in Berlin was awesome. He is a wonderful player and I think many people will have a lot of fun seeing him in the future as well".
While Novak Djokovic has already announced that he will be in Malaga to pay tribute to Nadal, fans are waiting to see if King Roger will also be in Spain in November. Both Nole and Rafa were in London for Federers farewell, who has greeted the world of professional tennis after a legendary career.
An era is over
In a long interview with Eurosport, ATP legend and top analyst Mats Wilander spoke about Nadal and Federer: My first reaction to Rafa announcing that is that Im still asleep. Waking up to that is obviously a nightmare for all of us that love tennis. But weve been waiting and expecting it to happen. It was just a matter of when it was going to happen.
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I guess the Davis Cup is so close to Rafas heart, so close to most of our hearts. Theres a team spirit there, and you could celebrate with your team, win or lose. I understand the decision for Rafa to stop there. But its a sad day for tennis in general. He brought so much passion to the sport.
Rafa, you could talk about overachievers. To me, he overachieved a little bit with all the injuries that he had. Hes unbelievably talented, of course, in terms of feel and understanding of the game. But in terms of technique, maybe someone like Roger Federer is more talented and, therefore, maybe, should have done better in terms of results.
Thats what people think. We overlook the passion and the competitive spirit that Rafa brought every single day. So even on that day against Novak Djokovic at the Paris Olympics, hes trying as hard as he can. And at some point, the belief fully disappeared because of physical reasons, emotional reasons. Who knows? Age, of course, is the biggest factor. So hes given everything. Hes overachieved. That puts him in a category, to me, on his own, because hes overachieved more than anybody. Hes such a great competitor.
