Roger Federer has written poignant tribute to his retiring rival and good friend Rafael Nadal.
The Swiss Maestro posted his private tribute to 22-time Grand Slam champion Nadal on social media.
The 38-year-old Spanish celebrity is enjoying his closing occasion on the Davis Cup Remaining 8 in Malaga, Spain this week.
“Rafa, you made me benefit from the sport much more,” Federer wrote. “OK, perhaps not at first. After the 2004 Australian Open, I achieved the No.1 rating for the primary time. I assumed I used to be on prime of the world. And I used to be—till two months later, while you walked on the courtroom in Miami in your purple sleeveless shirt, exhibiting off these biceps, and also you beat me convincingly.
“All that buzz I’d been listening to about you—about this superb younger participant from Mallorca, a generational expertise, in all probability going to win a serious sometime—it wasn’t simply hype.
“We had been each initially of our journey and it’s one we ended up taking collectively. Twenty years later, Rafa, I’ve to say: What an unbelievable run you’ve had. Together with 14 French Opens—historic! You made Spain proud… you made the entire tennis world proud.”
