Like mixed tools: Roger Federer's retirement alongside Nadal made us all cry

The events of Roger Federer's farewell reminded how much he was admired and his unique charm, but the scene of his and Rafael Nadal's tears side by side illustrated how the love of the sport is based on emotion and not logic.

Thanks Roger for another unforgettable evening, which is much more than tennis

Paz Hasdai

09/24/2022

Saturday, September 24, 2022, 09:00

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Tiktukno - summary of today's events, 23.9 (Sport1)

It was really unusual.

We have already seen Roger Federer cry during his career, but not like this.

The minutes pass, and he can't stop.

The tears don't stop.

Everything falls apart, explodes, flows from his eyes.

His body chokes, trembles, and the crying is contagious.

The thanks phase continues, Federer doesn't stop crying, Mirka comes down from the stand, and he sobs in her arms.

His children hug him, and he cries on their shoulders.

The twins approach him (how much they've grown!), and he continues, making them cry too.

Mom and Dad have been crying for a long time too.

It's impossible not to.

But the highlight moment is in the small bench next to Rafael Nadal, who is sitting next to him, and is also crying.

Two alpha males, deconstructed, succumbing to emotion.

Rafa cries because of the separation, because of the old age, because of the recognition that everything comes to an end, the realization that it will soon come to him too.

These two amazing athletes, who for many years we could have sworn hated each other, look back and realize how intertwined their lives were.

Suddenly the hands are also folded.

They realize it's over, they see it's over, the journey passes before their eyes, and they are full of appreciation, overwhelmed with happiness and sadness, pride and grief, side by side.

Picture of the year?

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The two are sobbing, he is already thinking about the next season.

Djokovic (Photo: GettyImages, Julian Finney)

Only Djokovic doesn't cry.

And it's not that he doesn't have a heart, but right now he can't find room for mercy.

He looks over the bench at his two crying opponents: one has already retired, the other with baldness and a crumbling body, and he is planning the next season, the training camp, the insoles and nutritionists, the corona regulations that will be repealed, the first place of all time.

Even when Djokovic retires there will no doubt be lavish ceremonies, he will receive endless respect and appreciation.

But it is not certain that there will be anyone who will cry like that.

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The "greatest of all time" debates are tiring and troublesome, and as the years go by and people get older, they already lose the motivation and desire to participate in them.

who cares?

Claim what you want.

You won't be able to convince us anyway.

Pull out numbers, look at data, all well and good, but voila, you haven't convinced.

Yes, Maradona.

Yes, Jordan.

Yes, Federer.

What do we care about head-to-head balance, number of tournaments, trophy case.

In the case of Federer, this is particularly noticeable.

He is only third in the count of Grand Slams.

He has a negative balance against Nadal and Djokovic.

But there is no point in arguing, because there is no matter of facts here, only feelings.

We don't know the answer, but we feel it.

Federer's farewell game illustrated this precisely.

He managed to make the Liverpool Cup the center of the world.

A tournament that normally arouses marginal interest has become something that millions of sports fans have been waiting for.

And the truth is that tennis itself was negligible.

Federer is so loved and admired that the big attraction was just his presence.

To see him walking the streets of London alongside the heroes of the Nephilim generation.

To watch him play ping pong, talk about Nadal, take selfies with his friends, remember the big games, everything exuded a unique aura, which is reserved for individuals of their kind.

"Europe against the world" they call the tournament, but the whole world is in favor of one man.

curled up in her arms.

Federer with Mirka (Photo: GettyImages, Clive Brunskill)

How they've grown, Roger.

Federer and the twins (Photo: GettyImages, Clive Brunskill)

The best tennis players of today watch the action from the sidelines.

Tsitsipas and Marie, Bertini and Oja Elias, all know that there is no chance that they will get such a farewell.

Most likely adore him just as much as we do.

They grew up with him, were amazed by him, were moved by him, and now know how to appreciate the size of the class, their right to be by his side on the same field.

To say Federer is far from his peak would be an insult to his peak.

He is not in the area at all.

It's not just the face full of wrinkles, but the legs.

They barely move anymore.

The knees refuse to accept instructions from the brain.

Slow response time.

You can actually hear the creaking of the joints.

And yet, every once in a while, it's still him.

From time to time you recognize remnants of the light movement, to the feet that jump and lead him to a forehand, every now and then he takes a point and shouts "come on", and everything goes up.

exhibition game

It's fun to see them together (Photo: Reuters)

Know how to appreciate the journey.

The pair (Photo: Reuters)

It was fun to see him again, for the last time.

Towards the end of the second set there was a dilemma, on the one hand wanting to see the match decided in favor of Federer, on the other hand not wanting it to end, not wanting to say goodbye, give us just one more magical moment, one more little shine, an elegant touch, the touch of an artist.

For example, in one of Federer's strokes, the ball goes through a hole in the net.

fault.

The head knows that it is an illegal hit, too low, the ball only went through due to a technical failure in the net;

But the heart, the heart gives the credit to the maestro, who again found the loophole and managed to put a ball through a tiny hole.

As if only he could.

And how symbolic that the last match was with Nadal.

that his last time on the field is alongside the mythical opponent.

And again, how symbolic Djokovic looks at them from the side.

After all, Djokovic has a positive record against both of them.

It is very likely that he will also overtake them.

It is very likely that this would have already happened if he had not been kicked out of one tournament due to a strange incident, and not come to two due to a strange virus.

And again, the historians of the game will mention that in fact the rivalry between Nadal and Djokovic is richer.

More games, more slams, certainly many more hours.

They will speak logically, see data, explain and detail.

But who cares about numbers (however absolute) or dry facts, everything is based on emotion, sweet memories, moments that only a few can produce.

Thank you and goodbye.

• sport

• tennis

Tags

• Roger Federer

• Rafael Nadal