Rafa That! Federer Pens Emotional Tribute to Retiring Nadal

By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday November 19, 2024

Roger Federer is among the many thousands and thousands of tennis followers retaining a detailed eye on Rafael Nadal’s closing skilled occasion this week. The Swiss took to X to pay tribute to the King of Clay, recalling the 20-year journey they took collectively and the way indomitable Nadal pushed Federer to a degree he by no means thought he may obtain.

“You beat me—so much,” Federer wrote. “Greater than I managed to beat you. You challenged me in methods nobody else may. On clay, it felt like I used to be moving into your yard, and also you made me work more durable than I ever thought I may simply to carry my floor. You made me reimagine my recreation—even going as far as to vary the dimensions of my racquet head, hoping for any edge.”

Vamos, @RafaelNadal!

As you get able to graduate from tennis, I’ve acquired a couple of issues to share earlier than I possibly get emotional.

Let’s begin with the plain: you beat me—so much. Greater than I managed to beat you. You challenged me in methods nobody else may. On clay, it felt like I…

— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) November 19, 2024

Federer, who gained 16 and misplaced 24 in opposition to Nadal over the course of their illustrious rivalry, instructed Nadl that he enhanced his appreciation for the game.
“Rafa, you made me benefit from the recreation much more,” he wrote. “OK, possibly 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 high of the world. And I used to be—till two months later, if you walked on the court docket in Miami in your crimson sleeveless shirt, displaying off these biceps, and also you beat me convincingly. All that buzz I’d been listening to about you—about this wonderful 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 firstly of our journey and it’s one we ended up taking collectively. Twenty years later, Rafa, I’ve to say: What an unimaginable run you’ve had. Together with 14 French Opens—historic! You made Spain proud… you made the entire tennis world proud.”

Lastly, Federer wished Nadal one of the best for the tip of his profession, and what lies forward.

“Rafa, I do know you’re centered on the final stretch of your epic profession,” he mentioned. “We’ll discuss when it’s carried out. For now, I simply need to congratulate your loved ones and crew, who all performed an enormous function in your success. And I need you to know that your previous buddy is at all times cheering for you, and will likely be cheering simply as loud for all the pieces you do subsequent.”