Nadal and Federer departure: “It’s close to me personally”

Rafael Nadal continues to tour South America. The Balearic tennis player faced local player Alejandro Tabilo early Saturday morning in Chile, whom he defeated 7-6, 6-3 in front of more than 13,000 spectators in San Carlos de Apoquindo, and added his second victory after the one obtained in Buenos Aires against Casper Ruud.

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After the match, the winner of 22 Grand Slam titles addressed the media to comment on various events, including Roger Federer’s recent farewell. “His retirement is not just an exciting moment for me, it’s an exciting moment for everyone who loves our sport. It touches me personally because of everything we shared, rivals and lived together for so many years. Besides having a close personal relationship, someone I admire and respect a lot has left”, explained Nadal, who is aware that young talents are getting stronger.

“This is the circle of life. Some will come and some will have to go. A new generation of great tennis players was born, young, with a present and a very bright future. Those of us who have been on the circuit for many years have the experience to know that everything is complicated, even for young people. We will continue to work hard to make it difficult for you. This is my goal for the next year, to try to continue having options to fight for the things that really excite and motivate me. That does not mean that there is a new, very strong young generation that will put on a great show in tennis in the coming years,” he commented.

The world number 2 also spoke about football and criticizing FIFA for awarding the World Cup to Qatar. “It is evident that we are in a global world, whenever people need to have more rights. Sports is an area where there is great media exposure to be able to make claims based on what kind of things. In this sense, I understand that everyone needs to have the freedom to express the things and feelings they have, always without harming others”, says a Nadal who considers that “the decisions that are made or not of FIFA are the rules and the attitudes they decide to make. This is your event. Others have the freedom to express themselves and show their disagreement, which is what is happening.”