Tennis has been reckoned by many as a lonely sport. Life on the tour can be challenging as declared by many stars in the recent period of the sport, who have come out and addressed this characteristic of professional tennis.
And in a sport where athletes battle each other for individual honours, there are a million ways how relationships between rival competitors could tarnish, at least over a considerably long period of time if not instantly.
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But, the untainted show of respect shared and reciprocated by the two greatest players to ever pick up a tennis racquet has proven once again why little children around the world need to get into the discipline of sports.
Even the mightiest of hearts couldn’t help but break when Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal sat on the bench for possibly the last time at a tennis event in the capacity of competitors, weeping inconsolably with the knowledge of the same.
Tears rolled down the eyes of the exemplary sportsmen, who have been an inspiration for multiple generations, in a moment of sporting history as the world bid adieu to one of the classiest athletes ever to play lawn tennis. The whole world felt it, the void that Federer leaves behind him as he steps into the next phase of his life, but probably none more so than his fiercest rival Nadal.
“When Roger leaves the Tour, an important part of my life is leaving too.”
“At the end, everything became super emotional. For me, it has been a huge honour to be a part of this amazing moment in the history of our sport, and at the same time a lot of years sharing a lot of things together.”
The rivalry that started all the way back in the year 2004 spanned two decades and touched the lives of millions. A mind-blowing 24 titles were decided when these two stalwarts of the game fought it out for the big prize on the last day of tournaments. On a total of 40 occasions, the greats went head to head as they fought tooth and nail for victory, which was all but second nature to them.
“He has been next to or in front of me in important moments of my life,” Nadal recollected.
The heyday of these two gentlemen will go down in history as a surreal chapter made all the more precious by the respect they harbour for each other, despite being each other’s greatest nemesis.
“When I started to be a better player, Roger was always there in front of me. For me, he was always the guy to beat. So at some point, we were probably the biggest rivals — I think always in a very good way.”
“We respect a lot each other, our families, our teams. I mean, we never had big issues,” Nadal said.
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