World No. 154 Rafael Nadal has a 13-10 singles record since the start of 2023, during which time he has struggled to win even an ATP 250 title. That is quite the fall in grace for a 22-time major winner and the undisputed greatest clay-court player ever.
If there’s one man who can relate to Nadal’s plight, it’s Roger Federer, who went title-less in his final few years before hanging up the racket in 2021.
In an interview with “The Today Show” on Tuesday, Federer revealed Nadal recently called him to seek advice on how he handed his swansong, which was similarly affected by injuries and losses. While the Swiss legend didn’t divulge too many details from their chat, he admittedly felt “a little sorry” for his longtime rival when he realized that his retirement tour wasn’t going according to plan.
“I actually just spoke to him this last week. He wanted to ask me something, and we had a chat,” Federer said. “I felt a little bit sorry for him that his summer didn’t go as well as planned, because at the French Open, he had a tough draw. At the Olympics, he had tough draw as well. He was hoping also to make a medal of course with [Carlos] Alcaraz in the doubles.
“But overall he can do whatever he wants. He’s been one of the most iconic tennis players we’ve ever had in our sport and that’s also what I told him. So I just hope he can go out on his terms and the way he wants to. But he’s a great guy, great career, and I’m happy we had so many moments with Novak [Djokovic], [Andy] Murray, me, the four of us.”
To Federer’s point, things didn’t go according to plan for Nadal, who previously intended to play the final major of the year at Flushing Meadows. However, the Spaniard pulled out after his disastrous showing at the Paris Olympics, where he suffered early exits in both singles and doubles.
As Federer said, Nadal deserves to “go out on his own terms” just like every other icon in history.
Alas, not every legend gets the storybook ending they hoped for, like Pete Sampras (winning his last U.S. Open), Michael Jordan signing off with a title in 1998 (if we forget the Wizards years), Peyton Manning and John Elway (Super Bowl wins to end careers) or Derek Jeter (walk-off shot in a victory).
Even the great Serena Williams went six years without a major before her retirement.
Here’s hoping Nadal gets the swansong he’s hoping for. The best bet would be the 2025 French Open, the place that has already deified him with a statue.
