Rafael Nadal delivered a moving speech during his academy's Graduation Ceremony for the Class of 2024. He recalled a conversation he had with Roger Federer while the two climbed the Italian Dolomites. The duo made the trip for an advertisement campaign for Louis Vitton.
The two men shared a fierce rivalry spanning nearly two decades where they faced each other 40 times with the Spaniard leading their head-to-head 24-16. But despite their rivalry, the duo also shared a great friendship. They even played doubles together in what was, Federer's final match of his career at the 2022 Laver Cup and famously held hands and cried together during the Swiss's farewell.
The Spaniard delivered a moving speech to the class of 2024 of his academy - Rafa Nadal Academy during their Graduation Ceremony where he recalled a conversation he shared with the Swiss where the two pondered over the topic of Legacy during their trip.
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"A few months ago, I had a chance to visit the Italian Dolomites in the company with my friend and rival Roger Federer. And there, in the mountains, we had a very interesting conversation about a word that I think is very important: Legacy," Nadal said.
The 38-year-old mentioned that though people talk about their achievements and records, he admitted that they would be broken eventually by someone in the future and that was the norm of life. However, the duo also agreed that the most important thing for them would be to have people remember them as good people.
"Both Roger and I agree on something we believe is of the utmost importance. How would we like to be remembered in a few years? How do we want the future generations to think of us?" the Spaniard said.
"We are both very sure of our answers. Yes, it's great that our achievements, our titles, and our records are recognized, but that is ephemeral. Because as the years go by, it is probable that someone will arrive and do something better than us. And so it must be. What is important, then, is that which will always be remembered. Both Roger and I agree that we would like to be remembered as good people," he added.
"All respect to Rafael Nadal, but I think it would've been way, way better if I had won" - Roger Federer jokes about the 2008 Wimbledon final
Coincidentally, Roger Federer also mentioned Rafael Nadal recently while giving the Graduation speech for Dartmouth's class of 2024. The Swiss, who received an honorary doctorate was speaking about the infamous 2008 Wimbledon final where the Spaniard ended his five-title winning streak. This was the third consecutive Wimbledon final between the two players.
The 42-year-old mentioned how some people thought of their epic final as the greatest match of all time but joked about how he felt that it would've been much better had he clinched his sixth consecutive title. He admitted that losing that final was a big deal as he was striving to achieve something that had never been done before.
"I tried not to lose, but I did lose. Sometimes, big. For me, one of the biggest was finals at Wimbledon in 2008. Me vs Nadal," Roger Federer said during his speech. "Some call it the greatest match of all time... all respect to Rafa, but I think it would've been way, way better if I had won. Losing at Wimbledon was a big deal. Because winning Wimbledon was everything... In 2008, I was going for a record six consecutive titles, I was playing for history." (at 11:02)
Nadal defeated Federer 6-4, 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-7(8), 9-7 in the highly anticipated final after four hours and 48 minutes to win his first Wimbledon title. This remains the Spaniard's only win over the Swiss in four matches between the two at the grass-court Major.
They locked horns in another two finals in 2006 and 2007, with Federer triumphing on both occasions. The last meeting between the two came in the semifinals of Wimbledon 2019, with the Swiss triumphing in four sets.
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