New Delhi: One of the greatest sporting legends of the world, and the king of clay- Rafael Nadal prepares to say ‘adios’ to his illustrious sporting career which spanned for more than a decade. The man who owned the French Open as if it were his backyard, draws curtains to an illustrious career with the Davis Cup finals in 2024.
Nadal received many heartfelt tributes and congratulations for the next chapter of life that the southpaw is set to commence following his glittering tennis career. While the entire sporting fraternity is bound to miss the flamboyant moves of the Spaniard, the left-hander received a special message from one of his closest and ‘old friend’, Roger Federer.
In his nearly 600-word post, the former Swiss tennis professional recalled facing Nadal for the first time on the tennis court, when a boy from Mallorca stepped onto the clay court and made it his own. Here’s his post:
Federer’s special message:
Vamos,
@RafaelNadal!
As you get ready to graduate from tennis, I’ve got a few things to share before I maybe get emotional.
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.
I’m not a very superstitious person, but you took it to the next level. Your whole process. All those rituals. Assembling your water bottles like toy soldiers in formation, fixing your hair, adjusting your underwear… All of it with the highest intensity. Secretly, I kind of loved the whole thing. Because it was so unique-it was so you…
Vamos, @RafaelNadal!
As you get ready to graduate from tennis, I’ve got a few things to share before I maybe get emotional.
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…
— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) November 19, 2024
Federer vs Nadal: Head-to-head
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal played against each other 40 times on the ATP Tour, with Nadal leading the overall record 24-16.
| Competition | Roger Federer | Rafael Nadal |
| Overall | 16 | 24 |
| Australian Open | 1 | 3 |
| French Open | 0 | 6 |
| Wimbledon | 3 | 1 |
| Grand Slam finals | 3 | 6 |