Following Rafael Nadal‘s recent physical issues, tennis legend Roger Federer says he hopes the Spaniard may retire from the sport “on his own terms.” Nadal hasn’t played professional tennis since hurting a hip muscle in January during a second-round loss to Mackenzie McDonald at the Australian Open. The 22-time grand slam winner announced in May that this will be his final season on the circuit.
Federer was plagued by ailments in the later years of his career, undergoing knee surgery once to recover and win three more grand slams before succumbing to more problems. Federer was only fit enough to complete his extraordinary career by playing doubles with Nadal at the Laver Cup in London, and the Swiss great believes his long-time opponent and buddy can be more competitive in his last year.
During his Australian Open encounter against Mackenzie McDonald in the second round, Rafael Nadal tore a hip muscle. Nadal has thus taken a vacation from tennis competition in order to heal and recuperate. Unexpectedly, he said in May that 2024 is probably going to be his final season on the tour, startling both fans and other athletes.
Roger Federer showed sympathy for Rafael Nadal’s current physical issues by drawing on his own experiences with knee ailments that have plagued him since 2016. Federer overcame his personal obstacles to win three major championships and overcome his injuries before retiring in 2022. Federer really hopes that Nadal will experience a similar victorious return to the tennis circuit and finally decide to call it a career.
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Roger Federer sheds light on his, and potentially Rafael Nadal’s retirement
Roger Federer made the amusing statement when reflecting on his retirement: “I mean, all of us, Murray, Djokovic, Nadal and me, I believe the four of us, I think when I resigned, we were all sitting there sobbing about me retiring or because of the music, who knows. Everyone’s tears were motivated by different things.”
Federer exclaimed that “Tennis players used to retire at the age of 30, so I believe you understand how lucky we are to still be playing at this late point in our lives. I’m talking about [Björn] Borg at 26, [Pete] Sampras at 32, and [Andre] Agassi at 36. This seemed like we were playing deep, and now we’re all sitting about 35-40.”
Federer continued by saying, “We all know how fortunate we are, and I think Rafa knew that as well.” So, seeing him go through this more tough moment now, obviously, I’ve been there, and I just hope he can go out on his own terms [and] play a little bit.”
Although Roger Federer has been active after his retirement, he admitted that his friendship with Rafael Nadal has become distant as a result of their divergent paths. However, there is a good chance that the two tennis greats may work together in the future, especially once Nadal has left the world of competitive tennis. When the Spaniard will officially end what has been a fantastic career is still up in the air.
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