“They just love each other and the respect they have for each other is insane” – Tiafoe on Federer and Nadal’s emotional Laver Cup moment

Tiafoe returns to the Laver Cup to represent Team World in Berlin this week

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal at the Laver Cup 2022 Image Credit: Antoine Couvercelle / Panoramic

September 17, 2024

One of the most iconic moments in tennis history came at the Laver Cup two years ago when Roger Federer took to the court for his final match – a doubles contest where he partnered Rafael Nadal for Team Europe to take on Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock of Team World.

After the match, which Federer and Nadal lost, players from both teams gathered on court to bid an emotional goodbye to the 20-time Grand Slam champion. While no one was surprised to see Federer get emotional, the tennis world also saw Nadal break down as he sat alongside Federer and the image of the two players holding hands in tears remains one of the most poignant images taken on a tennis court.

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, Laver Cup 2022 — © Antoine Couvercelle / Panoramic

I’m a kid, like eight, nine years old, watching these guys battle each other. And now, at the end, they’re like holding hands.
Frances Tiafoe

Tiafoe, who returns to play for Team World in this weekend’s Laver Cup in Berlin, watched that unfold from the court itself and recalled that moment in a recent interview with the Laver Cup website, describing it as the ‘collest thing ever’.

“I mean, that’s wild,” Tiafoe said. “I’m a kid, like eight, nine years old, watching these guys battle each other. And now, at the end, they’re like holding hands, like the respect they have for each other. One dude, Spanish, was barely speaking English when he first started. Another dude, you think he’s American with how well he speaks English, and he’s so fly and does everything like they’re so different.”

“But they just love each other and the respect they have for each other is insane. So that was probably the coolest thing ever. And I was like, man, it’s just cool to be here. Like, forget what even just happened. It’s cool to be here.”

Nadal was expected to return to the Laver Cup this year but the Spaniard pulled out of the event last week and it remains uncertain if or when he will play next.

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