‘Not the Rafa I Normally Know’ – ‘Shocked’ Roger Federer’s Empathy for His Dear Rival Amid the Latter’s Physical Adversities in 2009

With 14 French Open titles in his bag, Rafael Nadal is undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with on clay courts. However, the Spaniard once faced a shocking defeat against the Swedish tennis player, Robin Söderling in 2009. Later, it was his arch-rival, Roger Federer who cliched the Rolland Garros title of that season.

Speaking of his remarkable triumph, the Swiss tennis Maestro previously reminisced about his interaction with a ‘dejected’ Nadal. The 20 singles Grand Slam champion further revealed how he was “shocked” upon meeting him during an adverse phase of his journey.

Roger Federer once empathized with his arch-rival, Rafael Nadal after his French Open defeat

During the 2009 Wimbledon Championships, Roger Federer was featured in an interview with the American tennis legend, John McEnroe. Meanwhile, he was asked to give his assessment of Rafael Nadal’s withdrawal from the prestigious Wimbledon tournament due to his injury. The Swiss tennis legend said that he didn’t expect his arch-rival to pull out from the highly anticipated tournament.

Later, the former tennis ace reminisced about his conversation with a ‘dejected’ Nadal during their meeting on the practice court. Federer said, “He was like head down, ‘ah, congratulations for the Paris’ and I was like How you doing? and he was like, okay, and like mmm.”

The 20-single Grand Slam champion further detailed how the Spaniard clearly looked disappointed with something ahead of the Wimbledon Championships. Federer revealed that the King of the Clay was acting weirdly during their practice session as he wasn’t conversing much. He said, “This is not the Rafael I normally know, normally he is much, talks more and it’s more open and he would show, much more, how he’s really feeling.”

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Taking note of the same, the 41-year-old tennis legend realized that Nadal was going to pull out of the Grand Slam event in London. He stated, “But this is where I felt like there is definite chance he’s not gonna play, and I was shocked as well.”

Later, it was Federer who was once again crowned as the champion on the Centre Court after his remarkable victory against Andy Roddick. With two major titles under his belt in the same season, the former Swiss tennis player solidified his position as the number 1 ranked player on the men’s circuit at that time.

WATCH THIS STORY: Serena Williams pays tribute to Roger Federer.

What do you think of Federer surpassing his arch-rival during that season?  Let us know in the comments section.