The retired Swiss legend expressed his concern for Nadal after revealing he has been keeping up with the Spaniard’s recent results.
Roger Federer expressed his concern for Rafael Nadal’s physical condition after the veteran star made it to the final of the Swedish Open in July.
The Swiss icon, who turns 43 on August 8, bid an emotional farewell from the sport in September 2022, citing the toll of injuries on his body as the reason behind his decision to walk away.
Federer chose Nadal as his final doubles partner in the last match of his incredible 24-year career at the 2022 Laver Cup in London. That put their unbreakable bond on full display as the pair struggled to hold back the tears in their final match together.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal played doubles at the Laver Cup (Image: Getty)
Naturally, the nature of their friendship hasn’t changed even after his retirement, as Federer exhibited his worries for his friend in a recent interview when he kept up with his progress in Bastad.
Nadal, 38, had battled through to the final of the tournament in preparation for his Olympics participation before losing 3-6, 2-6 to Nuno Borges in the final.
But he looked physically spent in the final, and Federer feared for Nadal given how he has been plagued by injuries in recent years. Nadal himself admitted he was exhausted after failing to win a medal at the Olympics, having played doubles with Carlos Alcaraz for Spain.
Rafael Nadal lost in the Swedish Open final to Nuno Borges (Image: Getty)
After being informed Nadal lost the final during an interview with Vogue, Federer said: “He lost? Oh, come on. Three and two [the scoreline] Oh, God. I saw he was down 1-0, love-40.
“That’s the last time I checked, a few hours ago, but when I saw the score, I was like, ‘Oh, no… I hope his body is okay’.”
Some might expect tennis to be at the back of Federer’s mind when he is unwinding with his family.
But the opposite appears to be true, with the tennis icon revealing himself to a keen armchair fan in his retirement along with his wife, Mirka, and four children, Myla and Charlene, both 14, and 10-year-old twins Leo and Lenny, 10.
“I do check in with the game almost daily to see scores and results. Watching is a whole different thing — I love watching it when it’s on TV,” he added.
“We’ve been watching a ton of football as well — the Euros, and now the Olympics are coming up, so I’m going to watch all of that. I’m a big sports fan. But again, I’m always out and about and busy.
“But especially in the evening, when the day unwinds and I have time to sit back and maybe go on YouTube and watch some highlights, I tend to do that. I like to be up to speed on what’s going on, because the guys play nice, and I like to see what they’re doing.”
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Source: Los Angeles Times (edited)
