Roger Federer’s comments about Rafael Nadal should make tennis fans very happy

The retirement of Roger Federer in 2022 at the Laver Cup was one of the more emotional ceremonies any athlete might have. He was in tears, other players were in tears, and fans were crying. While Federer knew it was time to quit playing tennis professionally, no one truly wanted to see him walk away. He was too good of a player and too nice of a person.

Still, unlike some players, Federer did not hem and haw, teasing a retirement only to return at some later point. When he was done, he was done. Luckily, he remains a part of tennis and he likely always will.

Rafael Nadal has hinted that 2024 could be his final year playing, but he has not made an official announcement. He has no need to. While he has made even the semifinals of any tournament this season, he played quite well in his opening-round loss to Alexander Zverev at the French Open. Had Nadal played as well as he did against the German against nearly any other player, he likely would have won.

Nadal is skipping Wimbledon in preparation for being fit for the Olympics in late July. He plans to play a clay-court lead-in tournament in the middle of the month before heading to Paris. The tennis at this summer’s Olympic games will be played on the same courts that the French Open is. That seems a fitting way for Nadal to retire, should he choose to do so.

There could be another path Nadal could take if he does decide he is ready to stop playing and it is the same ending that Federer had. The Spaniard could make the Laver Cup, which runs from September 20 through 22. The event will be held in Berlin, Germany.

While Nadal retiring at the tournament would be quite sad, there is a potential for a joyous occasion to be part of the Laver Cup if Nadal wanted to play doubles. In a recent interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, Federer said that if Nadal asked him to come out of retirement to play doubles at the 2024 Laver Cup, the Swiss would. But there’s a slight catch as Federer does not expect Nadal to play doubles at the event.

Federer said, “I don’t think we’ll play doubles together at Laver. But if he asks me, I’ll be there.” Simple enough, now let’s hope it happens (only without Nadal retiring).

More tennis news and analysis: