Sitting courtside Rafa Nadal cried as his great rival, Roger Federer, bid an emotional farewell to tennis at the Laver Cup on Friday, saying an important part of him was also leaving the men’s tour with the retirement of the Swiss.
Pictures and videos of Federer and Nadal - who shared one of tennis’s most enthralling rivalries - crying together after combining for Team Europe in a doubles defeat at London’s O2 Arena went viral on social media, leaving their legions of fans highly emotional.
Teaming up to lose 6-4, 6-7 and 9-11 to American pair of Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe, Nadal says of 41-year-old Federer’s retirement: “For me, has been huge honour to be a part of this amazing moment of the history of our sport, and at the same time a lot of years sharing a lot of things together.
“When Roger leaves the tour, yeah, an important part of my life is leaving too because all the moments he has been next or in front me in important moments of my life…”
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