Sitting courtside Rafael Nadal cried as his great rival, Roger Federer, bid an emotional farewell to tennis at the Laver Cup on Friday, later saying an important part of him was also leaving the men’s Tour with the retirement of the Swiss.
Pictures and videos of Federer and Nadal crying together were widely shared on social media, leaving their legions of fans emotional.“For me, has been a huge honour to be a part of this amazing moment of the history of our sport, and at the same time a lot of years sharing a lot of things together,” the Spaniard said of Federer.
Roger Federer with wife Mirka. Getty Images
“When Roger leaves the tour, yeah, an important part of my life is leaving too because all the moments he has been next or in front me in important moments of my life... difficult to describe. But, yeah, amazing moment.”
Federer played Nadal 40 times in one of the most compelling rivalries across any sport.
Loud cheers accompanied Federer and Nadal, or “Fedal” as they are jointly nicknamed, on to court. After entertaining the sellout crowd, both were overcome by emotions.
“Very proud to be part of his career in some way. But even happier to finish our career like friends after everything we shared on court like rivals,” Nadal, 36, said.