"No matter what he says about Rafa, it always ends up being romantic" - Tennis fans react to Roger Federer talking about his farewell

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal created one of the most memorable moments in tennis history when they shed tears sitting next to each other at the 2022 Laver Cup. After the Swiss legend spoke about it recently, fans once again hailed the friendship between the two stalwarts.

A few days before the exhibition event in London, Federer announced that it would be the last tournament of his professional career. During his appearance on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, the 20-time Grand Slam champion reflected on his extremely emotional farewell night. He revealed that Nadal was the first person he informed about his retirement outside of his family.

The 41-year-old wanted to play a doubles match alongside the Spaniard, who was still recovering from an abdominal injury and wasn't about to attend the event. However, he readily agreed when Federer called him.

"I had to call him and tell him, 'Hey Rafa, just before you make any other plans, I would love for you to be at the Laver Cup and play maybe one last doubles with me because I think it's the end.' He was like, 'Oh yeah, oh my god, I'll be there, whatever it takes.' I knew it was going to be incredibly emotional. I've always cried a lot in victory and in defeat. Laver Cup was beautiful and Rafa was there, holding my hand, briefly, or I held his hand. It was amazing, honestly," he said.

While one fan stated that the Swiss icon sounded romantic talking about Nadal, a few others pointed out that he didn't have to give an explanation about the two players holding each other's hands.

"No matter what he says, how he says about Rafa, it always ends up being romantic," a fan tweeted.

"Aww this melts my heart. Roger and Rafa are beautiful in every way," a user wrote.

"You got to love this guys @rogerfederer @RafaelNadal how lucky we are," another tweet read.

Here are a few more reactions:

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"That's going to be a lifetime of friendship" - Kim Clijsters on Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal (L) and Roger Federer

Speaking on The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast recently, four-time Grand Slam winner Kim Clijsters revealed that watching Roger Federer's farewell made her emotional. She also praised his equation with Rafael Nadal, saying that their friendship will be everlasting.

"I was crying my eyes out, especially when Mirka walked on the court and hugged him. Okay, Rafa and Novak are still playing, but I guess the connection between Rafa and Roger, just their history and you could see the appreciation for everything that they have done and then also realize that this all does come to an end. For me to see Rafa and Roger, without a doubt, that's going to be a lifetime of friendship." Clijsters said.