His greatest rival and now accomplice, Rafael Nadal, his Swiss compatriot and friend, Stan Wawrinka, and his last winner on the circuit, Hubert Hurkacz, recount a memory of Roger Federer, who played his last match in the Laver Cup this Friday.
Your main adversary
Rafael Nadal, with whom he played the double in the Laver Cup
“Friendly Rivalry”
“The memories I have with Roger are not limited to the games we played against each other. Before arriving at the circuit, I observed it. I watched his first hits in front of my TV and then we were able to create this amazing rivalry together. What we are probably most proud of is building this friendly rivalry. Sometimes it’s not easy because we risk such important things for our career, but we have understood that in the end the personal relationship is sometimes more important than the professional aspect. We were able to handle this aspect. »
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All our articles on Roger Federer’s retirement
Your friend and compatriot.
Stan Wawrinka, with whom he won Olympic gold in 2008 and the Davis Cup in 2014
” Older brother ”
“We’ve been through a lot, our relationship has grown over the years. First training session, I was 16 years old, I had gone to Bienne, to hit with him on clay… We created this relationship over the seasons. When I came to the Tour, he was really an older brother, a great opportunity, the number 1 in the world, a top and Swiss guy, with whom I had the opportunity to be able to train a lot, to be able to play. take advice, a lot. We became friends later, with all the experiences we shared. The best moment I would say was winning the Davis Cup together. For Switzerland, for our country, something that has always mattered to him and me. We have given a lot for more than ten years to this competition. It was the last dream to be able to conquer her with him. »
his last killer
Hubert Hurkacz, the last one who has faced him and has beaten him in the 2021 Wimbledon quarterfinals
“I will never forget this moment”
“It is already very special to have had the opportunity to play against him twice. At Indian Wells in 2019 (loss 6-4, 6-4) and then at Wimbledon last year. It was on packed Center Court, and on grass, of course. I will never forget this moment. He gave so much to the sport, he inspired so many people, on and off the tennis court. Everything he has done is incredible. Walking off the pitch last year, we didn’t mention at all the fact that it might be his last (individual) game with my team; especially since he was still in my tournament and especially focused on that. I thought he was going to play again, and many games, at least that’s what I hoped. Will I tell my grandchildren that the highlight of my career was being the last to beat Roger Federer? (laughter) I still hope to achieve good things! But Roger, yes, he was my idol growing up and having the opportunity to meet him is still fantastic. That we finished with a 6-0? Frankly, the score doesn’t really matter, but yeah, if we could change that, why not a tiebreaker in the fifth? (laughter). »