Federer says goodbye to Nadal with emotional letter: ‘You made me enjoy the game even more’

MALAGA, Spain (AP) — Roger Federer said goodbye to Rafael Nadal with an emotional letter in which he said his friend and rival made him enjoy tennis “even more” during a rivalry that spanned 40 matches over 15 years.

In a message shared on social media on Tuesday, hours before the start of the final phase of the Davis Cup, Nadal’s last tournament before retiring, Federer began his message with the word “Let’s go” and expressed the following: “As you prepare to retire from tennis, I have something I can share before I possibly get excited.”

“Let’s start with the obvious: you beat me – badly. More than I managed to win from you. “You challenged me in a way that no one else could,” Federer said. “On clay, it felt like I walked into your backyard and you made me work harder than I ever thought possible just to fend for myself.”

“You made me rethink my game – even going so far as to change the head size of my racquet, expecting some kind of advantage,” he added.

Federer, now 43, had established himself at No. 1 in the rankings when Nadal, now 38, burst in on him. The Swiss star began his career with a 7-0 record in Grand Slam finals before suffering his first Grand Slam final loss to Nadal in the 2006 French Open final, the first of three straight finals in Paris – all by the same result.

Nadal also defeated Federer in the 2008 Wimbledon final, preventing him from winning a sixth consecutive All England Club title.

Overall, Nadal has a dominant 26–14 all-time record, including 10–4 in Grand Slam tournaments and 6–3 in Grand Slam finals.

However, Federer told Nadal in his post, calling him by his nickname Rafa: “You made me enjoy the game even more.”

Together they formed the “Big Three” of men’s tennis with Novak Djokovic, who is still active at 37 years old and holds the men’s record with his 24 major tournament titles. Nadal is second on the list with 22, followed by Federer with 20.

“What an incredible career you have!” — Federer wrote. “Including 14 French Opens – a historic event! “You made Spain proud… you made the whole tennis world proud.”

When Federer retired after playing the doubles match at the Laver Cup in September 2022, his partner was Nadal. After that they sat next to each other and cried.

“Having you by my side meant everything to me – not as my opponent, but as my doubles partner,” Federer wrote on Tuesday. “Sharing the court with you that night and sharing those tears will forever be one of the most special moments of my career.”

On Tuesday, Nadal’s Spanish team faced the Netherlands in the Davis Cup quarter-finals. Neither Nadal nor Spain captain David Ferrer said Monday whether Nadal would play singles or doubles, both or neither.

“Rafa, I know you are focused on the last stage of your epic career. “We’ll talk when it’s all over,” Federer wrote. “I want you to know that your old friend is always cheering you on and will be just as enthusiastic about whatever you do next.”

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This story was translated from English by an AP editor using a generative artificial intelligence tool.