Spaniard Rafael Nadal has admitted that former world number one Roger Federer may not take part in his final appearance as a professional tennis player. The 38-year-old is considered one of the greatest players in the history of men’s singles tennis in the Open era, with 22 Grand Slam titles. He won fourteen of these titles at Roland Garros, which is why he is also known as the “King of Clay”. Nadal, who struggled with fitness issues particularly towards the end of his career, recently announced that he will retire from professional tennis after the upcoming Davis Cup. The team competition will start on November 19th in Málaga. Nadal will represent his country Spain in the quarterfinals against the Netherlands. Former world number one Federer retired in 2022 after taking part in the Laver Cup, where he was a member of Team Europe, in which Nadal also played. The 22-time Grand Slam winner was asked ahead of the upcoming mega event whether Federer would return the favor and join him in his run to the final. Nadal then admitted that this might not be the case. He also emphasized that the two situations are very different. Two years ago he was there because he was part of the team, but now he is taking part in a competition where he represents his national team.
“It’s a different situation,” said Nadal. “I was there to play. There we were teammates. Here we are a Spanish team. I haven’t spoken to Roger. I think Roger has a busy schedule. By the way, of course it will be my last week on the professional tour “But I don’t think it will be my last goodbye, so there will be other opportunities to do something.”
2024-11-18 15:18:00