Roger Federer pays tribute to Rafael Nadal for ‘gigantic’ Roland Garros achievement
Rafael Nadal ‘keeps raising the bar,’ says Roger Federer who has paid tribute to the Spanish star for yet another French Open title.
Nadal battled through his chronic foot problem in Paris this year to win the tournament for the 14th time – his 22nd major overall.
Federer was not taking part in the tournament as he continues to work his way back from triple knee surgery.
In fact, he admitted he didn’t even watch the final, in which Rafael Nadal beat Casper Ruud in straight sets.
However, he saw enough to pay tribute to his former rival, describing the achievement as ‘gigantic.’
“I didn’t watch the final, I watched the quarter-final (against Djokovic) a bit before I went to sleep,” Federer told tagesanzeiger.ch.
“In general, it’s just unbelievable what Rafa has achieved. The record of Pete Sampras, which I beat, was 14 Grand Slam titles.”
“Now Rafa won the French Open 14 times. That’s unbelievable. I was happy for him that he did it again. Hats off to Rafa.
He also spoke about Nadal’s victory: “I didn’t watch the final, I watched the quarter-final (against Djokovic) a bit before I went to sleep. In general, it’s just unbelievable what Rafa has achieved. The record of Pete Sampras, which I beat, was 14 Grand Slam titles.” (5/6)
— Simon Graf (@SimonGraf1) June 11, 2022
“After the tenth, eleventh time, I already thought: This can’t be. He keeps raising the bar. It’s gigantic.”
Federer’s own Grand Slam winning days appear to be behind him, although he says he is still planning to return to tennis later this year.
He has named the Laver Cup and the Basel as the only events he will likely play in 2022, although he would do that with the intention to return to the ATP Tour in 2023.
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