Roger Federer has given an interview to El Pa�s on the occasion of the premiere of the documentary ‘Federer:Twelve Final Days’ which relives the last days of his career and can be seen on Amazon Prime Video starting June 20.
He winner of 20 majors confesses that he has in a special place the photo in which, holding hands with Nadal, both tennis players are crying at the Laver Cup. “I have it at home, framed, in a space where I have some images of my career; I don’t want photos everywhere, so I have them in a specific area. And when I walk past it, it always catches my attention because it reflects our camaraderie, our friendship, and also our rivalry, all in one image. It is a moment when We are both able to reflect on everything we have just experienced, remembering our career and how lucky we have been to be tennis players, of having been able to turn our hobby into a dream profession. That’s what that photo means to me. It was a great moment, short; hold his hand for a second and basically show him my gratitude through that touch.
I was worried that Rafa might leave and, in fact, I thought he might do so after beating Medvedev
Federer also talks about how he came to think that Nadal could retire before him: “There were signs that made us feel that Rafa was not well and that he was not going to last as long as he has. I did not think that I could play beyond 37 or 38, and I did. same for him, but then you find a place again where you start to feel better. I’m happy to have left first, so that they also have a phase in their careers in which I’m not me, because I had that moment before Rafa, Novak and Andy appeared. “So I’m glad that they’re still playing and fighting with their problems and their physical issues.”
“But yes, I was worried that Rafa might leave. and, in fact, he thought he could do it after beating Medvedev (2022 Australian Open final); I thought maybe I would do it there or at Roland Garros. He would have been incredibly happy for him, but at the same time It would have been a shock to me“Federer continues.
The Swiss acknowledges that it will be hard for him to see Nadal or Djokovic retire: “For me it will also be very interesting to see how the retirement of any of them will live because, to be honest, after having played 40 or 50 games and having talked so much about them, seeing them finish It has to be hard. It will be hard.”
Federer, a boring player
The eight-time Wimbledon winner reveals that he had to deal at first with the boring image that was attributed to him on the field and the parallels with Djokovic. “They said it was boring. They put you in a box… So you have to accept it and fight against it. While everyone loved the rivalry between Rafa and me, suddenly Novak burst in alone, from that point of view, as the third, and… I think it’s incredible how he has been able to develop as a player and also as a person.
He also has words about him moment when he decided to retire: “I would have liked to have had one last chance to play, but at the same time I was relieved to not have to go through all those brutal emotions of pain, being at 100 percent and having to play in front of the crowd again.” . In the end, you want to be one hundred percent to be able to compete against the best, but I felt like that was not going to happen again.. So I decided to stop and, in fact, I feel very happy that I made the decision.”
