Roger Federer 'Not Really' Missing Facing Rival Rafael Nadal On Tennis Court
ATP
Roger Federer is a retired player, and he doesn't really miss it, even those iconic matches with his good friend Rafael Nadal.
These two played amazing matches over the years, and it's hard to pick one. Their 2008 Wimbledon five-set battle, which ended up being Nadal's first Wimbledon trophy is maybe one of the highlights.
We witnessed 40 battles on court in total, which many fans loved to see. We won't see it again because Federer retired from the sport last year, which affected Nadal deeply.
Federer was okay with it after putting together a far better career than he ever imagined. It was a bittersweet moment for all tennis fans, but his recent interviews proved that he's not missing it all that much being content with his life now.
In a recent talk with the ATP Radio Podcast, Federer also revealed that he's not missing battling Nadal either.
I haven't thought about it, to be honest, if I miss playing Rafa. Not really, you know. Maybe more so happy not to play, just glad I'm not in that tough match where you stare down a centre court match with one of the greats, it's nerve-racking you know. I had [it] so often that it's good not to have it anymore, I guess.
Federer was in Shanghai recently, where he was honoured with an award by the event where he was dominant in the past. He never lost to Novak Djokovic or Rafael Nadal in Shanghai, and according to him, he prepared meticulously for the event every year.
But for the most part, I have always played very well here in Shanghai. I have also made it a priority in my schedule, I rarely played the week before, I never played the Beijing week. I always came here with great preparation and making it a priority. And I think when you prioritize a week in the year, it helps you with your success rate.
