The Spaniard, who is expecting his first child, went to London alone to accompany his friend Federer
“I couldn’t miss this day,” said an emotional Rafael Nadal, dropping that his only reason for traveling to London was to attend Roger Federer’s farewell and that once it was over he would return to Manacor, where his wife She will give birth to her first child in the coming weeks.
“I’m not feeling well. It’s been a tough few weeks, with little sleep and a little stress in general. Situations at home a little more complicated than usual. I’ve been dealing with different pressures than you’re used to in professional life. Happy everything is fine, we are much calmer and in that sense I was able to come here, which was important to me,” Nadal told media in London.
The Spaniard, who took part in the doubles that ended Federer’s career, underlined how important it was for the Swiss to have one of his biggest rivals at his side at the Laver Cup.
“I’ve had a pretty close personal relationship for a long time. The fact that we are on the Players Council also means that we have to talk about things on a weekly basis and I’m not retired yet, but I know if you’ve been injured for a long time, you’re the end, it’s frustrating and in that sense for It’s been hard times for him, with recovery taking a long time, a lot of mental effort and eventually you realize you’re not going to make it. Being able to retire from the track was very important to him and I couldn’t miss this day,” he explained.
The compliments were answered by Federer: «It makes me very happy where our relationship is today, that I can call Rafa and talk about everything. I think he feels the same. We enjoy each other’s company and have many memories, but we also enjoy spending time together. I feel like every time we spend an afternoon together, we run out of time,” the Swiss reflected.
The tears of both tennis players, broken on the bench, are an example of a relationship that has had hardly any friction in 18 years of rivalry and has crossed the barriers of tennis to become the living image of friendship between athletes.
“I’m a pretty sensitive person. I’m not worried either (I burst into tears on the job). Crying is sometimes good. You have to let go of these emotions. With Federer’s departure, part of my life is gone. I feel that “If he leaves, a part of me leaves too,” explained the man from Manacor.
“We have been very connected, especially in the last ten years. I think it’s been around since I’ve had kids. I don’t know if that helped or changed me, or if our rivalry has evolved, clarified Federer, who went into a hug with Nadal at the end of the joint press conference in which Bjorn Borg did not want to attend, to leave the lead role to the duo “Fedal”.
With the departure of Nadal to Manacor, his calendar for the end of the season is up in the air. He has no scheduled tournaments other than qualifying for the Turin ATP Finals, the title missing from his showcase, which will be played from November 13-20 this year.
« Today I want to go back to normalcy, that the personal matter remains good, which has the highest priority, and then organize my life in the right way. I want to have peace of mind in my personal and professional life,” Nadal said.
Source: La Verdad
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