You only miss the sun when it starts to snow. The 2022 Laver Cup not only marked the final tournament of Roger Federer as a professional player but also marked an end to an epic rivalry! Similarly, ‘FEDERER: Twelve Final Days‘ is not just about the last few days of his playing career, but it’s more likely a collection of emotions of all those people who made a huge impact on his life. And after his wife Mirka, no one influenced the Swiss maestro’s life more than his long-time rival, Rafael Nadal.
Several emotional moments were captured involving the three on that special day. On one occasion Federer was also seen consoling devastated Rafa. Not many things trigger Roger Federer as much as seeing these two individuals in such an emotional state of mind. “I think there are really two only I realized that would trigger me and that was Mirka and then the Rafa angle,” said the Swiss Maestro during a recent interview.
Mirka Federer is the strongest pillar of support for him off the court, while Rafael Nadal always made sure that he pushed Federer to his highest limits to become one of the best in the world. Seeing Nadal cry and then Federer stepping towards him, consoling him, and giving a kiss on his head is a bliss to watch for all tennis fans. “When Roger leaves the tour, an important part of my life is leaving too,” Rafa had emotionally stated once.
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“Because all the moments that he has been next to or in front of me are important moments of my life.” The duo has won 42 Grand Slam titles altogether and have spent multiple weeks being at the top of the tennis world. So, emotions were bound to come out on this day.
Roger Federer had told Rafa about his intentions of retirement almost ten days before the Swiss announced it to the world. Federer expressed his wish to play a double match by teaming up with the Spaniard. Although there were a few concerns about his match fitness, Nadal told him one thing, “I will be with you, whether you play or not.“
There were several moments during that match when the fans couldn’t control their emotions seeing the tears on the faces of their favorite tennis stars. However, Federer comforting Nadal is the moment that is going to be engraved in our memories forever.
Fedal fanbase comes out in hordes at seeing Roger Federer consoling devastated
Roger Federer recently revealed that he has kept a photo of him and Nadal in his home portraying all the emotions of that day. Describing the beautifully framed images of the two, he said, “It reflects our camaraderie, our friendship, and also our rivalry, all in one image.” Now, here’s another photo of the two in a single frame portraying the love and respect they have for each other. Commenting on that picture a fan said, “Roger kissed Rafa on the head. the rivalry is insane to the highest level.“
In a world of extreme competitiveness, these little moments of love and affection toward each other are pretty much rare to see. This is exactly what makes this rivalry most unique and loved by all sports lovers. Seeing Federer giving a kiss to his long-time rival head made a fan say, “Not the kiss on the head, I may die.“
Elaborating more on the “super emotional” moment, Rafael Nadal said, “I’m very proud to be part of his career in some way. But even for me happier to finish our career like friends after everything we shared on the court like rivals.” He sobbed after seeing his arch-rival putting an end to this epic rivalry. A fan wrote, “Rafa bawling his eyes out and Roger going to console him. The kiss on the head? No one can ever gaslight me about fedal.”
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Not over it and never will be💔 pic.twitter.com/kZ2mfmo5Y9
— 𝓝𝓪𝓭𝓪➁➁𝓲𝓬𝓪¹⁴ 🇺🇦 (@Nadallica86) June 18, 2024
It was really a beautiful moment for not just ‘Fedal‘ fans or tennis fans but also for the entire sporting world. “I won’t get over it either… so beautiful,” said the other.
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During a press conference, Rafael Nadal was asked about the image of him sitting beside Roger Federer with tears in his eyes. Replying to that question, Nadal said that being a “sensitive person” it was hard for him not to get emotional. He revealed that “it got a little out of hand” on that day and he had in fact also cried when he got back to his room.
Recalling that instance a fan said, “I remember that Rafa mentioned that, after going up to his room at the hotel, he cried alone again, remembering what happened. I imagine he was feeling particularly excited those days because of all the events he was going through!” Share what are your thoughts on these emotional ‘Fedal‘ moments.