Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal redefined rivalries on the tennis court. Who would have imagined that as the years passed, their equation would drastically change? Years after battling against each other, both tennis players are at the point in their careers when they root for each other like true friends. The Spaniard supported Federer by standing tall alongside him during his farewell match, despite not playing well.

And now, just a few months after the two tennis legends’ tearful retirement, the Swiss maestro is ready to back his arch-rival in every possible way. Recently, the 20-time Grand Slam champion made a strong wish for the 37-year-old tennis player to make a comeback on the tennis court.

Roger Federer wants Rafael Nadal to make a comeback 

The 41-year-old tennis veteran is aware that sustaining different injuries comes with aging as a tennis player. The same is true of his arch-rival, who has been sidelined from tennis for a while and whose tennis future is incredibly uncertain, leading some to wonder if he will ever return.

However, the Spaniard’s supporters are anxious about what will happen next because he skipped this year’s Wimbledon. Federer, a close friend of his, recently expressed hope for the revival of the 22-time Grand Slam champion in a heartfelt statement.

In a recent interview with CNN Sports, the Swiss ace said, “So seeing him going through this more difficult period now, obviously I’ve been there and I just hope that he can go out on his terms [and] he can still play a little bit. I still hope we’ll see not just the doubles like I did, but more than that. I still believe that’s going to happen.” 

Further, he also expressed his empathy for the Spaniard, sharing his own experience with a knee injury. With that, he expressed his desire to see him make a strong comeback to tennis before making the huge decision to leave the sport behind.

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In between, just a day ago, the Swiss legend made a Wimbledon comeback, as a guest. And while his comeback news was making the rounds on the internet, everybody was eagerly waiting to see if they would get an opportunity to see him back on the tennis court. But that didn’t happen, and now he has also crushed his fans’ hopes of seeing him in the tennis arena as a coach.

Federer dishes out the idea of taking on a traditional coaching role 

The 41-year-old tennis legend’s post-retirement comeback to the court was also discussed in the same interview, which piqued the interest of fans and the media. But because of the demanding tour schedule, the 20-time Grand Slam winner ruled out taking on a formal coaching position.

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Federer recognized the potential to mentor those who could travel to Switzerland, but instead of fostering false optimism, he refocused his efforts. He also used Stefan Edberg as an example of how he never assumed the coaching position.