“Definition of class,” “Forever a great champion” – Zinedine Zidane, David De Gea and other footballers pay fitting tribute as Tennis icon Roger Federer retires

Footballers worldwide took to social media to pay their tributes to Roger Federer as the Swiss maestro retired from professional tennis after playing his last ever game at the Laver Cup.

The likes of Zinedine Zidane, Thiago Silva, Olivier Giroud, David de Gea, and more reacted across social media platforms to show their love and respect for one of the greatest tennis players of all time.

Federer is a bona fide legend of his sport, winning 20 grand slam titles in his illustrious professional career. Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal are the only ones to have bettered his tally.

Federer teamed up with Spanish superstar Rafael Nadal to take to the tennis court for the last time. The 41-year-old's departure from the tennis world left even his greatest rivals in teary eyes. Such was the greatness of the player.

Here are some of the best reactions from footballers to Roger Federer's retirement:

Rafael Nadal reacts to Roger Federer retiring

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer might have been the greatest rivals on the court, but their mutual respect is quite examplery.

Here's how the Spaniard reacted to Federer announcing his retirement:

"Well, difficult to talk about that now in a short period of time. Well, I think the memories that Roger brings to the sport, in my personal way, they are not only in matches against me. I saw him playing comfortably before I arrived on tour. I saw him having success on TV, and then I was able to have an amazing, create an amazing rivalry together."

He added in a press-conference ahead of the 2022 Laver Cup:

"Something that probably we are very proud (is that we) have a friendly rivalry."

Nadal and Federer dominated the world of tennis for an extended period and played some of the finest matches of their era. Their rivalry will go down in sporting history as one of the most legendary.