A year ago, on this very day, world tennis was left in sheer tears as Roger Federer played his final match in professional tennis before bidding adieu to the sport he dominated for two decades. Federer, a 20-time Grand Slam winner, last appeared in the 2022 Laver Cup, where he played a doubles as his final match, alongside longtime rival and friend Rafael Nadal at the O2 Arena in London. A year after those emotional three days, Laver Cup is back, this time in Vancouver, and so is Federer. And while Nadal, nor the other two members of the Big Four in Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray are part of the event this year, the Spaniard made a cameo appearance on Friday at the Rogers Arena.
At the end of Day 1 play in Vancouver, Federer sat for an interview with the legendary Jim Courier, looking back at the year on from his retirement. During the chat, Courier asked a few questions from fan before Nadal’s name popped up and the Spaniard appeared on the giant screen with a cheeky question. He asked: “Who’s been your favorite double’s partner?”
Federer was left in absolute splits at Nadal’s appearance but was left in a spot following that question. He struggled for an answer before responding brilliantly. He said: “I mean.. I thought it was my wife until this guy showed up… Rafa can have it.”
Nadal and Federer have formed one of the most engrossing rivalries in ATP history, having faced each other 40 times in their career, starting with their first ever meeting in Miami Open in 2004. The 22-time Grand Slam winner leads the head-to-head tie 24-16, which includes 14-10 in finals.
However, Nadal and Federer have teamed up only once in their career, at the 2022 Laver Cup. The dream pair had lost the match before the Swiss maestro said goodbye to the sport.