'When you see someone you appreciate saying goodbye...' - Rafael Nadal on Roger Federer's retirement

Roger Federer called it quits from tennis after his doubles encounter at the Laver Cup, which concluded on Sunday (September 25) in London. Federer's last match saw him team up with his longtime rival and close friend Rafael Nadal as the two faced American duoJack Sock and Frances Tiafoe, where they lost4-6, 7-6 (2), 11-9.

After the match, Federer was in tears and so was his arch-rival Nadal. Over the years, while many have pitted them against each other and termed them as one of the greatest rivals, the two share a great camaraderie and have immense respect for each other. Hence, even Nadal couldn't hold back his tears after Federer's illustrious career came to an end.

Recently, Nadal -- with most Grand Slam titles (22) in men's tennis -- reflected on Federer's retirement and told COPE, "I'm a sensitive person, when you see someone you appreciate saying goodbye it's hard not to get emotional. It was difficult for it not to happen because of everything that was experienced that night."

The Spaniard opined on the duo's iconic photo where both were shedding tears and said, "It got a little out of hand, and the worst thing is that when I went to the dressing room it happened again. Like everything, the relationship had different stages. It's been a relationship that was good from the beginning but that grown stronger over the years."

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Nadal pointed out that his personal relationship with Federer is something he enjoyed more than their professional relationship."Thanks to that, people who weren't interested in tennis took some interest in our sport. Our way of seeing the rivalry and the world has meant that the personal relationship we've shared has probably been even more important than the professional relationship we've had," Nadal said on the Swiss maestro, who ended with 20 Grand Slam titles in a career spanning over 24 years.

Talking about the Laver Cup 2022 edition, Team World won the title for the first time (in the fifth edition) as they beat Team Europe 13-8. Despite comprising the likes of Federer, Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas, Team Europe failed tothe former a farewell trophy.