The universal love that now exists for Rafael Nadal makes it easy to forget how much crowds used to be against him in matches against his great rival Roger Federer.
Nadal retired as one of the most respected and liked athletes in sports history at the Davis Cup Finals. There was much emotion during the 22-time Grand Slam champion's retirement ceremony in Malaga.
Federer appeared in a video tribute played during the ceremony, and the eight-time Wimbledon champion also wrote an emotional message to Nadal on the morning of what would be his final day as a professional player.
Nadal's emergence as a teenager on the ATP Tour came when Federer dominated the sport. He challenged the Swiss maestro in a way no one had until that point, and only Novak Djokovic troubled Federer to such an extent in the years after.
The Spaniard repeatedly denied Federer at the French Open, beating him in three consecutive finals from 2006 to 2008. He also triumphed against him in the 2011 final and 2005 and 2019 semifinals at Roland Garros.
Federer initially did the same to Nadal at Wimbledon with triumphs in the 2006 and 2007 Wimbledon finals. The pair then contested one of the greatest matches in tennis history at SW19 in 2008, which Nadal won in five sets.
Nadal and Federer's friendship, the epic nature of their matches, and the love that now exists worldwide for Nadal mean many fans may have forgotten or do not remember the crowd dynamics in their contests.
Federer received most of the support at the French Open and Wimbledon. Nadal's uncle and former coach, Toni, remembers that the Paris crowd at Roland Garros did not like how often his nephew won until they finally warmed to him.
Former WTA player and respected analyst Andrea Petkovic wrote on her Substack page that Nadal did not just have to manage the crowd supporting Federer; there was also some hostility toward the 14-time French Open champion.
"Nowadays, people forget how much adversity Rafa faced from audiences. People loved [Roger Federer] and could not fathom a challenger as dangerous as this boy from Manacor whose whipped forehand opened the tennis court in ways thought geometrically impossible."
However, rather than lashing out at any of Federer's fans, Nadal stayed humble each time he defeated the Swiss player, and that resonated with fans who eventually began to love the Spaniard.
"Rafael Nadal stuck with it. He did his thing, kept winning, kept beating [Roger Federer], kept beating him with grace and humility in his heart. And slowly, they began to like him, increasingly they warmed to him, in the end: they loved him. Passionately."
"For his decency and his broken English, for the random music video where he makes out with Shakira and his humor that started to shine through once his English improved. Most of all, they loved him for his fighting spirit on court. First, he won titles; then he won the hearts of the people that were so ready to hate him."
The way Federer and Nadal conducted themselves on the court is why Toni Nadal thinks the pair earned a higher level of respect than Djokovic.
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