Roger Federer reveals Rafael Nadal promised that he would do whatever it took to come to the Laver Cup. While Nadal was in New York, his wife – who at the time was pregnant – was admitted to the hospital due to minor complications.
After Nadal finished his US Open run, he said he was unsure when he would play again. But then, Nadal received a call from Federer, who wanted the Spaniard to be the first to know about his plans to retire after the Laver Cup.
During the call, Federer asked Nadal if he was willing to be his doubles partner in the final match of his career. After hearing the news from Federer, Nadal knew there was no way he could skip the Laver Cup and Federer’s farewell.
Federer on how Nadal reacted when he told him his retirement plans
“I had to call him and tell him, hey Rafa (Nadal), just before we make any other plans, I would love you to be at the Laver Cup and play maybe one last doubles with me.
He’s like ‘oh yeah, oh my god, I’ll be there, whatever it takes.’ He’s now become a father. I’m so happy for him. And we were not sure if he was going to make it because of the baby. When he (Nadal) showed up, and Novak was there, and Murray was there and Bjorn Borg was there and everybody was there.
It was an amazing moment and then I knew it was going to be incredibly emotional. I was so happy, I was able to be there in tennis clothes because that was in my vision. For me to be there with the mic in the light and tell everybody ‘this is it.’
And it was amazing to do it in London too, where I had so much success,” Federer told Trevor Noah on The Daily Show. While Federer and Nadal were playing their doubles match, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray supported them from the Team Europe bench.
