What happened to Rafael Nadal at the US Open after Roger Federer privately told him he was about to retire

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Roger Federer informed Rafael Nadal of his retirement news before it was announced to the world.

After a glittering career spanning over 20 years the Swiss Maestro decided he would hang up his racket at the 2022 Laver Cup.

Federer’s final match was a doubles contest alongside the Spaniard against Jack Sock and Francis Tiafoe in front of a sold out crowd at London’s O2 Arena.

Fans will now get a glimpse behind the scenes in the final days of the 42-year’s career in an Amazon Prime documentary series titled “Federer: Twelve Final Days” that will be released on June 20.

Rafael Nadal was playing at the US Open when Roger Federer informed him of his decision to retire

Nadal and Federer began as fierce rivals but over the years developed a special friendship with one another. They competed in some of tennis’ greatest matches and helped raise the standard of the sport to new heights.

Given the bond they developed throughout the years, Federer informed Nadal of his decision to retire 10 days before announcing it to the world, according to Vogue.

Federer’s public announcement came on September 15th 2022, meaning he would have told the 14-time Roland Garros winner on September 5th, the day of his fourth round clash with Francis Tiafoe at the US Open.

The American defeated the 37-year-old 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 to advance to the quarter-finals, leaving X user @S_RF_CA to suggest that this information impacted Nadal’s performance.

What happened after Roger Federer’s last match?

Despite a lack of match practice, Federer and Nadal fought valiantly and took the first set against Sock and Tiafoe.

In what proved to be a close match with the vast majority of fans wanting Federer to end his career with a victory, the legendary tennis duo suffered a tight 6-4, 6-7, 9-11 defeat.

Federer was embraced by both Team Europe and Team World after the match as both he and Nadal sobbed uncontrollably in what was a truly powerful moment, while Ellie Goulding delivered a live performance.

Through the tears Federer embraced the crowd and thanked all those that have supported him along his tennis journey.

“It does feel like a celebration to me,” he said. “I wanted to feel like this at the end and it is exactly what I hoped for so thank you. It has been a perfect journey and I would do it all over again.”