Roger Federer wished Rafael Nadal who has been out of action, a strong return to tennis after the Spaniard announced that 2024 will be his last year on tour.
Roger Federer retired from tennis last year and since then he has been enjoying time with his family. But, he has not been able to stay completely away from the sport that he played for 25 years.
He was honored at the Centre Court of the 2023 Wimbledon Open for his exceptional tennis career. He walked onto the court with a huge applause from the crowd and was joined by Prince of Wales Kate Middleton.
During his time in London, he recalled his emotional retirement at the 2022 Laver Cup in an interview with CNN Sports. He bid adieu in a doubles match playing with his long-time friend and rival Rafael Nadal who broke down into tears at his farewell.
“I think we realized how fortunate we are to still be playing at this later stage of our career. Because tennis players used to retire at 30, I mean 26 for Borg, 32 for Sampras maybe, 36 for Agassi, this was like playing deep you know. And now we are all sitting there around 35-40, so I think we all know how fortunate we are and I think Rafa knew that too.”
– Roger Federer in an interview
EXCLUSIVE: "I still hope we’ll see not just the doubles like I did, but more than that."@rogerfederer tells @chrissymacCNN that he hopes Rafael Nadal can overcome his injuries and retire "on his own terms" next season. pic.twitter.com/pMF4UG92EJ
— CNN Sports (@cnnsport) July 5, 2023
Federer who struggled with injury in the last years of his career empathized with Nadal who has been out of tennis following his second-round exit from the 2023 Australian Open. Federer wished Nadal a speedy recovery and he desires to see Nadal making a strong comeback before he hangs his boots.
“So seeing him go through this more difficult period, obviously I know, I’ve been there. I just hope he can go out on his terms, he can still play a little bit. I still hope we’ll see not just a doubles like I did but more than that. I still believe that’s going to happen.”
– Roger Federer in an interview
Rafael Nadal shares a video of his training session as he eyes a comeback next season
Rafael Nadal who is hoping for his comeback, can be seen from a video of his latest training session.
Rafael Nadal has not played any tennis since his second-round exit at the 2023 Australian Open due to an abdominal injury. He underwent surgery in June and since then he has been preparing for his return to tennis.
2024 will mark the last year of the 22 Major winner’s career. He recently announced that he would reveal his schedule for the season after discussions with his coaching teams.
He will be starting the season with Brisbane Open 2024 and will move on to his first Slam in a long while; Australian Open 2024. The Australian Open was also the last slam that he played before sustaining his year-long injury and undergoing surgery.
He shared a video of him hitting the court and doing some practice to get back in form.
🇪🇸 Rafael Nadal continuing to improve, playing practice points 💪
— Olly 🎾🇬🇧 (@Olly_Tennis_) November 27, 2023
📸 abel.b.horvath IG pic.twitter.com/hl9PInxRdw
