Roger Federer on Rafael Nadal retirement: 'I always hoped this day would never come'

Tennis legend Rafael Nadal on Thursday announced his decision to retire from the sport after the conclusion of the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga in November. Roger Federer, a long-time rival of Nadal on the court and a friend off it, paid tribute to the Spaniard, saying that he had “hoped that this day would never come”. “What a career, Rafa”, Federer replied to Nadal’s post on Instagram, where the latter shared an emotional video.

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“I always hoped this day would never come. Thank you for the unforgettable memories and all your incredible achievements in the game we love. It’s been an absolute honour!," added the Swiss former athlete.

Rafael Nadal’s statement

“I’m here to let you know that I am retiring from professional tennis. The reality is that it has been some difficult years, these last two especially. I don’t think I have been able to play without limitations. It is obviously a difficult decision, one that has taken me some time to make.

“But in this life, everything has a beginning and an end, and I think it’s the appropriate time to put an end to a career that has been long and much more successful than I could have ever imagined," Nadal, who has battled injuries in the last couple of years, said in a statement on Thursday.

Nadal ends his career with 22 Grand Slam titles, including a record number of 14 French Open titles. He finishes only two Grand Slam titles behind Novak Djokovic, who currently has a record 24 Grand Slams. Roger Federer ended his career with 20 Grand Slams.

Nadal’s rivalry against Federer

Nadal and Federer faced off 40 times in tennis, with the two building a rivalry for the ages. Nadal enjoyed a stronger head-to-head record against Federer, winning 24 of those matches and losing 16. Federer’s last professional match was during the 2022 Laver Cup, where he played along with Nadal in his farewell contest. Nadal and Federer have locked horns in Grand Slam finals on nine occasions, with Nadal having finished with a better win-loss record (6-3).

In 2010, when Nadal won the US Open, he was only 24 years old and became the youngest male player to win a career Grand Slam. Nadal, Federer and Djokovic made up the “Big Three” of tennis for more than a decade, and was World No 1 in ATP rankings for 209 weeks.