Roger Federer admits he is happy that his rivalry with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic has come to a very positive end. Federer, a former 20 times Grand Slam champion, had many great fights against Nadal and Djokovic as these two were his biggest rivals.
At the end of September, Nadal and Djokovic came to the Laver Cup to say goodbye to Federer. While Federer and Nadal played their doubles, Djokovic supported them off the Team Europe bench. Reflecting on his rivalry with Nadal and Djokovic, Federer admitted there were times when the trio “always showed each other”.
Federer on his rivalry with Nadal and Djokovic
“I think the ending was very emotional. And to have a really great friendship with the guys at the end of my career after everything we’ve been through.
Brutal matches, big wins and hard losses, and always having that camaraderie at the end is amazing. I mean, maybe just a little anecdote because people might not know this, but we share the same dressing room, we share the same restaurants.
We are usually taken to the same hotels. So we always see each other. And we also practice together. But that’s why in the end I didn’t train much with Novak and Rafa. Not so much with these guys.
But yeah, with a lot of other guys, Stan Wawrinka, my boyfriend, yeah,” Federer told Trevor Noah on the Daily Show. Federer wanted to team up with Nadal for the last match of his career. To no one’s surprise, Nadal was willing to grant Federer’s wish and that’s how the Swiss’ career ended.
With Federer’s retirement, the Big 3 now have two active squad members. Both Nadal and Djokovic plan to play at least one more season in 2023.
