Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have shared one of the greatest and most intense rivalries in sporting history, but that desperation to win and be the best ever has since melted into a heartwarming friendship.
Now, their relationship is something adored by tennis fans, who now get to see these two laugh and reminisce about old wars, having come out the other side unscathed and as legends of the sport.
However, the former has since admitted that he remains shocked to see the Spaniard still playing, two years on from his own retirement.
In fact, he has pinpointed the exact game where he thought Nadal would have called time on a sparkling career.
Roger Federer shares his incorrect Rafael Nadal retirement prediction
Speaking to El Pais, the 42-year-old was quizzed on a number of intriguing topics which revealed more about his career and what has come following.
First, Federer questioned whether he had retired too early, before then moving onto Nadal, his great friend and long-time rival.
He too has seen interest spike regarding his future in the sport this year, but the Swiss star has actually admitted he thought the 37-year-old was going to retire even before he did.
He claimed: ‘Yeah, I mean, I was worried that he might quit before me. There were signs that made us feel that Rafa was not well and that he was not going to last as long as he has. I didn’t think I could play beyond 37 or 38, and the same for him, but then you find a place again where you start to feel better.
‘That’s why there is a moment in the film in which I say that I am happy to have left first, so that they also have a phase in their careers in which I am not there, because I had that moment before Rafa, Novak appeared [Djokovic] and Andy [Murray]. So I’m glad that they are still playing and fighting with their problems and their physical issues.
‘But yes, I was worried that Rafa might leave and, in fact, I thought he could do so after beating Medvedev [in the 2022 Australian Open final]; I thought maybe he would do it there or at Roland Garros [that same year]. I thought maybe I’d do it like this: Boom! [accompanies with his hands]. I would have been incredibly happy for him, but at the same time it would have been a shock for me; just as you could probably see how much my retirement meant to him.
‘Definitely, I think that at our level of competition there is a unique connection and that we know what the other person can feel, how much it means to lose your rival.’
Promising signs regarding Rafael Nadal’s decision to retire
Despite Federer’s claim, recent suggestions seem far more positive regarding Nadal’s future in the sport.
After all, before 2024, it was widely believed that this would definitely be his final year playing.
But it seems that he has even surprised himself with his level, and is now slowly be going back on many of his retirement suggestions with each passing month.
Nadal has delivered a positive fitness update very recently, and thus left the door open to continue playing into 2025. Especially after deciding against an emotional send-off from Roland Garros late last month, all the signs are pointing towards one more year of Rafa.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
