The Fedal rivalry is one of the most iconic rivalry in all sports. However, off the court, the two are buds. Two years after the Swiss tennis legend retired from the professional sport, he still feels intense admiration for his former Mallorcan rival. With rivalry in the past, Roger Federer showed concern for Rafael Nadal after he learned of his defeat in his most recent final.

In an interview with Vogue, Federer delved into how he felt watching Nadal lose in the final of Bastad. When the interviewer asked Federer whether he watched tennis and kept track of Nadal’s performance, Federer responded with a simple “Yeah.” When the interviewer told him that the Mallorcan lost against Nuno Borges in Bastad by 6-3, 6-2, Federer seemed shocked and disappointed.

“Three and two. Oh, God—yeah. I saw he was down 1-0, love-40. That’s the last time I checked, a few hours ago, but when I saw the score, I was like, Oh, no—I hope his body is okay. So, yeah—I do check in with the game almost daily to see scores and results,“ said the former Swiss tennis legend.

However, Federer denied watching the whole match. However, he seemed quite excited about the Paris Olympics. “Watching is a whole different thing—I love watching it when it’s on TV. We’ve been watching a ton of football as well—the Euros, and now the Olympics are coming up, so I’m going to watch all of that. I’m a big sports fan,” Federer said.

The Swiss former legend’s statements show how the enthusiasm for tennis is still in his mind Federer. His admiration for his colleague and rival Nadal has not withered. Not only did Federer show a great interest in Nadal’s recent performance, but he also had the sweetest message for his Mallorcan’s friend about the latter’s retirement.

Roger Federer hopes Rafael Nadal retires “on his terms“

Federer has always respected Nadal and his playing style. He began by mentioning how his retirement brought tears to Nadal’s eyes. He further stated that his generation was fortunate enough to retire according to their wish when former legends like Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, and Agassi left professional tennis near 30.

He then dropped a special message for Nadal and said, “We all know how fortunate we are and so I think Rafa knew that, too. 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.”

Federer’s statements about Nadal echo honor and friendship with on-court rivalry and competition. Despite everything. Federer’s admiration for Nadal teaches people to be compassionate, showing the charm of tennis that brings people closer.