Roger Federer leaves tennis fans in tears with emotional 585-word message and underwear joke for retiring Rafael Nadal

VAMOS, Rafael Nadal!

As you get acceptable to postgraduate from tennis, I’ve got a fewer things to stock earlier I possibly get emotional.

Let’s commencement with the obvious: you bushed me—a lot. More than I managed to bushed you. You challenged maine successful ways nary 1 other could. On clay, it felt similar I was stepping into your backyard, and you made maine enactment harder than I ever thought I could conscionable to clasp my ground. You made maine reimagine my game—even going truthful acold arsenic to alteration the size of my racquet head, hoping for immoderate edge.

I’m not a precise superstitious person, but you took it to the adjacent level. Your full process. All those rituals. Assembling your h2o bottles similar artifact soldiers successful formation, fixing your hair, adjusting your underwear… All of it with the highest intensity. Secretly, I benignant of loved the full thing. Because it was truthful unique—it was truthful you.

And you cognize what, Rafa, you made maine bask the crippled adjacent more.

OK, possibly not astatine first. After the 2004 Australian Open, I achieved the #1 ranking for the archetypal time. I thought I was connected apical of the world. And I was—until 2 months later, erstwhile you walked connected the tribunal successful Miami successful your reddish sleeveless shirt, showing disconnected those biceps, and you bushed maine convincingly. All that buzz I’d been proceeding astir you—about this astonishing young subordinate from Mallorca, a generational talent, astir apt going to triumph a large someday—it wasn’t conscionable hype.

We were some astatine the commencement of our travel and it’s 1 we ended up taking together. Twenty years later, Rafa, I person to say: What an unthinkable tally you’ve had. Including 14 French Opens—historic! You made Spain proud… you made the full tennis satellite proud.

I support reasoning astir the memories we’ve shared. Promoting the athletics together. Playing that lucifer connected half-grass, half-clay. Breaking the all-time attendance grounds by playing successful beforehand of much than 50,000 fans successful Cape Town, South Africa. Always cracking each different up. Wearing each different retired connected the tribunal and then, sometimes, astir virtually having to clasp each different up during trophy ceremonies.

I’m inactive grateful you invited maine to Mallorca to assistance motorboat the Rafa Nadal Academy successful 2016. Actually, I benignant of invited myself. I knew you were excessively polite to importune connected maine being there, but I didn’t privation to miss it. You person ever been a relation exemplary for kids astir the world, and Mirka and I are truthful gladsome that our children person each trained astatine your academies. They had a blast and learned truthful much—like thousands of different young players. Although I ever disquieted my kids would travel location playing tennis arsenic lefties.

And past determination was London—the Laver Cup successful 2022. My last match. It meant everything to maine that you were determination by my side—not arsenic my rival but arsenic my doubles partner. Sharing the tribunal with you that night, and sharing those tears, volition everlastingly beryllium 1 of the astir peculiar moments of my career.

Rafa, I cognize you’re focused connected the past agelong of your epic career. We volition speech erstwhile it’s done. For now, I conscionable privation to congratulate your household and team, who each played a monolithic relation successful your success. And I privation you to cognize that your aged person is ever cheering for you, and volition beryllium cheering conscionable arsenic large for everything you bash next.

Rafa that!

Best always, your fan,

Roger