CINQ MINUTES DE NOSTALGIE 🤩
Il y a 9 ans jour pour jour, Roger Federer 🇨🇭 concluait l’un des plus grands comebacks de l’histoire en battant Rafael Nadal à l’Open d’Australie pour remporter son premier Grand Chelem depuis près de cinq ans. 🏆
HISTORIQUE.
'For the rest of my career, I can enjoy playing and never have to hear that I never won Roland-Garros' 🧡
16 years ago today, amidst the rain and the tears,
Roger Federer completed his career Grand Slam.
The one Federer win I wouldn't trade for anything.
Vamos, @RafaelNadal!
As you get ready to graduate from tennis, I’ve got a few things to share before I maybe get emotional.
Let’s start with the obvious: you beat me—a lot. More than I managed to beat you. You challenged me in ways no one else could. On clay, it felt like I was stepping into your backyard, and you made me work harder than I ever thought I could just to hold my ground. You made me reimagine my game—even going so far as to change the size of my racquet head, hoping for any edge.
I’m not a very superstitious person, but you took it to the next level. Your whole process. All those rituals. Assembling your water bottles like toy soldiers in formation, fixing your hair, adjusting your underwear... All of it with the highest intensity. Secretly, I kind of loved the whole thing. Because it was so unique—it was so you.
And you know what, Rafa, you made me enjoy the game even more.
OK, maybe not at first. After the 2004 Australian Open, I achieved the #1 ranking for the first time. I thought I was on top of the world. And I was—until two months later, when you walked on the court in Miami in your red sleeveless shirt, showing off those biceps, and you beat me convincingly. All that buzz I’d been hearing about you—about this amazing young player from Mallorca, a generational talent, probably going to win a major someday—it wasn’t just hype.
We were both at the start of our journey and it’s one we ended up taking together. Twenty years later, Rafa, I have to say: What an incredible run you’ve had. Including 14 French Opens—historic! You made Spain proud... you made the whole tennis world proud.
I keep thinking about the memories we’ve shared. Promoting the sport together. Playing that match on half-grass, half-clay. Breaking the all-time attendance record by playing in front of more than 50,000 fans in Cape Town, South Africa. Always cracking each other up. Wearing each other out on the court and then, sometimes, almost literally having to hold each other up during trophy ceremonies.
I’m still grateful you invited me to Mallorca to help launch the Rafa Nadal Academy in 2016. Actually, I kind of invited myself. I knew you were too polite to insist on me being there, but I didn’t want to miss it. You have always been a role model for kids around the world, and Mirka and I are so glad that our children have all trained at your academies. They had a blast and learned so much—like thousands of other young players. Although I always worried my kids would come home playing tennis as lefties.
And then there was London—the Laver Cup in 2022. My final match. It meant everything to me that you were there by my side—not as my rival but as my doubles partner. Sharing the court with you that night, and sharing those tears, will forever be one of the most special moments of my career.
Rafa, I know you’re focused on the last stretch of your epic career. We will talk when it’s done. For now, I just want to congratulate your family and team, who all played a massive role in your success. And I want you to know that your old friend is always cheering for you, and will be cheering just as loud for everything you do next.
Rafa that!
Best always, your fan,
Roger
« Au tennis, la perfection est impossible. Sur les 1526 matches de ma carrière, j’ai gagné presque 80% de ces matches. J’ai une question pour vous : Quel pourcentage de points gagnés pensez-vous que j’ai lors de ces matches ? Seulement 54%. En d’autres termes, même les meilleurs joueurs du monde gagnent à peine un peu plus de la moitié des points qu’ils jouent.
Vous apprenez à vous dire : Je fais une double faute, c’est juste un point. Je suis venu au filet et je me suis encore fait passer. C’est juste un point. Même un coup superbe, un smash de revers qui finit dans le Top 10 d’ESPN. Ça aussi, c’est juste un point. Voilà pourquoi je vous raconte cela : quand vous jouez un point, cela doit être la chose la plus important du monde. Mais quand le point est derrière vous, il est derrière vous. Cet état d’esprit est vraiment crucial car il vous permet d’être totalement impliqué dans le prochain et dans les suivants avec intensité, clarté et concentration.
Dans la vie, peu importe le jeu que vous allez jouer, parfois, vous allez perdre. Un point, un match, une saison, un travail, ce sont les montagnes russes avec beaucoup de hauts et de bas et c’est normal de douter de soi quand on est en bas et d’être désolé pour soi. Mais votre adversaire doute aussi de lui également. N’oubliez jamais cela. Mais de l’énergie négative et de l’énergie gâchée. Devenir un maître pour surpasser les mauvais moments est pour moi le signe d’un champion. Les meilleurs du monde ne sont pas les meilleurs car ils gagnent tous les points mais car ils savent qu’ils vont perdre encore et encore et ils ont appris à le gérer. Vous l’acceptez, vous pleurez si vous en avez besoin, puis vous vous forcer à sourire. Vous avancez sans relâche, vous grandissez, vous travaillez plus dur, plus intelligemment. N’oubliez pas : travailler intelligemment ! » Roger Federer.
I think the best athletes/players are the quickest thinkers and this is perfect illustration of this. Notice how Rafa gets up from the fall…Sees that the incoming ball is slow enough that he will reach it so takes a split second to wipe his right hand on his thigh in case he needs it to hit a backhand later in the point ❤️🔥
🎾🇨🇭 Prime Video vous annonce la sortie d’un documentaire relatant les 12 derniers jours de l’illustre carrière de Roger Federer.
Le film montre le champion suisse sous son jour le plus vulnérable et le plus candide, alors qu’il fait ses adieux au jeu et aux fans qui ont façonné sa vie au cours des deux dernières décennies 🎥