For many fans, Roger Federer’s retirement symbolizes the end of the era dominated by the “Big Three”, which has been dominated by Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic for nearly 20 years. It is also known as the golden age of tennis men’s singles. In Federer’s tennis career, in addition to leaving many classic battles on the court with the other two giants, their private mutual respect and friendly friendship is even more touching to the fans.
The reason why they are called “Big Three” is because they are the players who have won the most Grand Slam championships in tennis history. Among the 79 Grand Slams in the past 20 years since 2003, 63 championships have been won by them. The three of them are included, and the other three giants are also the “only three” players in history to have won more than 8 Grand Slam titles in a single station, including Federer’s 8 Wimbledon titles, Djokovic’s 9 Australian Open titles, and Nadal’s 14 French Open titles. Net champion.
Among the “Big Three”, Federer and Nadal’s friendship and fight are the most talked regarding by the world. The duel between the two is also known as the “Battle of Ice and Fire”. Federer’s right-handed racket has a simple and smooth style and a bit of elegance; on the contrary, Nadal is left-handed and has a sturdy body. The muscles and the powerful style of the game, the two people who are so different from the appearance to the style of the game, such a contradictory matchup, the fans are always full of fun when watching the game.
Federer and Nadal have played 38 times in their careers, with a record of 15 wins and 23 losses. The first meeting between the two went back to the 2004 Miami Open, when Federer, who was 22 years old, was on the top of the game, but was knocked out by Nadal, who was only 17 years old, which was a shock at the time. After that, Nadal’s world ranking also rose to the top five in the world in a very short period of time, ready to collide with Federer’s throne.
Although the battle records of the two were ahead of Nadal before 2008, Federer successfully established his top spot from 2004 to August 2008, and he was the best at Wimbledon, the “battle on grass”. Defeat Nadal twice in the middle.
In the 2008 Wimbledon final, Federer, who was seeking 6 consecutive hegemony, met Nadal, who had won 23 consecutive victories at the time. This match was held for nearly 5 hours due to repeated rain delays. It was the longest final in Wimbledon history. In the end, Nadal defeated Federer in the fifth set of the final. Although he might not create a record of 6 consecutive hegemonies, this wonderful matchup is still considered to be the “greatest supreme classic in history”.
After a few years of being kings and rankings due to injuries, they both recovered from injuries and regained their peak skills in 2017, but the four matches that year were all played by 36-year-old Federer. To win, it was also his first streak once morest Nadal.
The last match between the two was in the Wimbledon semi-finals in 2019. This was the second match between the two at Wimbledon following 2008. However, unlike the ending that year, this match was finally played by Federer, who was 37 years old. to win.
Unlike the difficult coexistence of “ice and fire” on the field, Federer and Nadal not only respect each other in private, but are also very good friends. Federer once said that they meet almost every week and often share their life with each other. Big and small, and even know each other’s family members. When the epidemic broke out in 2020, the two suddenly shared a live broadcast on Instagram, which surprised and delighted the fans of the two. Through the mutual ridicule and concern of the two during the live broadcast, the friendship between the two top players became clear at a glance. .
Regarding the wonderful battle record between the two, Federer admitted that it was difficult for him to meet such a strong opponent at first, but gradually he was able to enjoy such a confrontation and looked forward to the duel with Nadal, because he knew every duel between them. are very special, and also considers the most important opponent of his tennis career to be Nadal.
The “Last Dance” before Father Fei announced his retirement will choose to team up with his best opponent and friend for the last match on the first day of the Laver Cup. Both of them are players who are good at singles, and still rely on their experience to play a lot of good shots in this final battle. It is a pity that the final battle of Federer’s career, although it did not end in victory, it is of great significance to be able to cooperate with Nadal, who has been an enemy and a friend for many years, and draw an end to his dazzling 24-year tennis career.
And Nadal also confirmed that he will not play in the Laver Cup in the next two days, which means that he is completely supporting Federer, his long-term friend, and also highlights the good feelings between the two.
In the retirement ceremony following the game, in addition to Federer’s heroic tears, Nadal beside him was different from his usual “barbaric” masculine image, and he also shed tears with emotion. After the game, Nadal said in an interview: “When Federer retired and left tennis, those important parts of my life also left.”
When the biggest rival of your career cooperated with you to play the last game, and was so sad to cry at your retirement ceremony, I believe that such retirement is definitely a perfect curtain call with no regrets for Dad Fei.
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