Rafael Nadal on Roger Federer: ‘An important part of my life is leaving too’

Roger Federer hit a backhand in the 2017 Wimbledon final.

A teenaged Federer hits a shot while on his way to winning the junior title at Wimbledon in 1998.

Federer with his parents, Robert and Lynette, in 1998.

Federer hits a forehand at Wimbledon in 2003. He will win the tournament, his first Grand Slam title.

Federer and Serena Williams pose with their Wimbledon trophies in 2003.

Federer celebrates after beating Lleyton Hewitt to win his first US Open in 2004.

Federer signs a camera after a match at Roland-Garros in 2005.

Federer in the lead takes on Andy Roddick in the 2005 Wimbledon final. Federer won five consecutive Wimbledons from 2003 to 2007.

Federer and Andre Agassi hit balls on the helipad of the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates in 2005. This was before a tournament in Dubai.

Federer and his future wife, Mirka, hang out together in Paris. She was also a professional tennis player. They got married in 2009.

Federer kisses his trophy after defeating Agassi to win the 2005 US Open.

Federer sits next to Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour at a Marc Jacobs fashion show in New York in 2006.

Federer and Rafael Nadal play an exhibition on a half-clay, half-grass match in Spain in 2007. Federer has excelled on grass his entire career. Nadal is widely known as the “King of Clay”.

Federer presents his trophy to the crowd after winning his fifth consecutive Wimbledon in 2007.

Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka celebrate after winning Olympic doubles gold in 2008.

Federer returns a shot to Novak Djokovic during a match in Monaco in 2008.

Nadal consoles Federer after beating him in the 2009 Australian Open final. The two rivals have been pushing each other throughout their careers.

Federer drops to his knees after winning the French Open in 2009. The elusive title completed Federer’s grand slam.

Federer plays a shot in the 2009 Wimbledon final.

Federer celebrates after winning Wimbledon in 2009. It was his 15th major title, which at the time was the most ever won by a male tennis player.

Federer poses with children in Kore Roba, Ethiopia, while visiting a school funded by his charity, the Roger Federer Foundation, in 2010.

Federer faced Andy Murray in the Australian Open final in 2010.

Federer greets Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II as she attended Wimbledon in 2010.

Federer served at the Australian Open in 2011. He won the tournament six times in his career.

After winning a tournament in Switzerland, Federer poses with ball boys and girls as they pick up slices of pizza in 2011. Federer, who once worked as a ball boy in Basel, hosted the pizza party.

Federer leaves the field with Murray after Murray beat him in the final of the London 2012 Olympics.

Federer enters the court for a match at the ATP World Tour Finals in 2013.

Federer signs autographs for fans in Shanghai, China, in 2013.

Federer fell in his Wimbledon semi-final match against Milos Raonic in 2016. He had battled a knee injury that year, and he injured it again in the loss to Raonic.

Federer and Murray play a charity match on a raft in Zurich, Switzerland in 2017.

Federer won the Australian Open in 2017, beating Nadal in the final. It was his first Grand Slam title since undergoing knee surgery.

Federer practices in Indian Wells, California in 2017.

Federer is being watched by his wife, Mirka, and their four children after winning Wimbledon in 2017. Federer has two sets of twins: identical twins and fraternal twins.

Federer tears up next to Martin Cilic after winning the 2018 Australian Open. It was the last Grand Slam title of his career.

Federer backhands Nadal in a 2019 French Open semi-final.

Federer and Williams take a selfie after competing in mixed doubles together in 2019.

Federer leaves center court at Wimbledon after losing in the quarter-finals in 2021.

Federer and Djokovic are attending the centenary celebrations at Wimbledon in July.

Federer announced this month that his Laver Cup appearance would be the last game of his professional career.

Federer plays a backhand in the last professional match of his career at the Laver Cup in London on Friday, September 23. He was paired with fellow superstar Rafael Nadal.

Federer and Nadal tear each other apart after losing their doubles match on Friday.

Federer is lifted into the air by his teammates after playing his final game on Friday.