Book about Roger Federer to be published on Monday with first extract released already

Saturday, 29 October 2022 at 20:00

Updated at Saturday, 29 October 2022 at 19:21

byTom Grant

Roger Federer paid an emotional farewell to tennis at the Laver Cup in September as the curtain came down on an illustrious career.

There are moments in this sport where fans recall exactly where they were when they witness monumental events - their JFK moments - and the sight of Federer and long-term rival Rafael Nadal in sheds of tears whilst embracing as the Swiss player said goodbye is sure to become one of the iconic images of our time.

The pair, of course, are well-known for their on-court battles, but it's their off-court friendship that has given this particular sporting rivalry an added element of fondness, with fans of both able to compare shining moments and Grand Slam wins.

And, in a new book written by journalists Simon Cambers and Simon Graf about Federer titled 'The Roger Federer Effect', the relationship between 20-time Grand Slam winner Federer and Nadal is explored in more depth.

The book is out on Monday and an extract from it has been published by The Guardian ahead of its release.

In it, Toni Nadal - Rafa's uncle and former coach - explains why the two legends helped each other be the best.

Toni said: "This rivalry had everything.

“It was a player that played with unbelievable technique, very elegant and another with passion, it was different styles. But at the end, there always was a very good respect. It was one of the biggest rivalries in sport history, in my opinion.”

Nadal senior also reveals Federer changed his game through the years against his nephew, and credits that change with helping Federer overcome Rafa and win his first slam in five years at 2017's Australian Open.

He added: "Everything changed in 2017 when Federer started to hit the ball faster on the first ball [the return].

"Federer said he didn’t want to be the one to play more rallies. On hard courts, it was very difficult for Rafael to beat him because he played so fast. The worst memory was Australia 2017 because Rafael was winning 3-1 in the fifth set.”