"I have it at home, framed" - Roger Federer opens up about the picture of him & Rafael Nadal crying at his Laver Cup farewell, shares its significance

Roger Federer recently talked about the picture of him and Rafael Nadal crying at the 2022 Laver Cup, which marked the final tournament of the former's professional career. Federer also opened up about the significance of the emotional moment that he and Nadal shared.

Federer bid farewell to tennis in 2022. He played his final professional match in the fifth edition of the Laver Cup, held at The O2 Arena in London, England. For the match, the Swiss tennis legend teamed up with Nadal for a doubles match. They faced off against Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock of Team World, but fell short and lost 4-6, 7-6 (2), 11-9.

Following the match, emotions ran high as Federer took a moment to walk around the O2 Arena, expressing gratitude to his fans, friends, and family who supported him throughout his career. The most poignant moment of the tournament came when the 20-time Grand Slam champion and the Spaniard were captured shedding tears together.

In a recent interview with EL PAÍS, Roger Federer revealed that he has a framed picture of himself and Rafael Nadal, crying at the 2022 Laver Cup, displayed in his home. He explained that for him, the image symbolizes the "camaraderie," "friendship," as well as the "rivalry" he had shared with the Spaniard over the years.

"I don't know, maybe I should ask Rafa, but it's probably more important for me than for him. I have it at home, framed, in a space where I have some images of my career; I don't want photos everywhere, so I have them in a specific area. And when I walk past it, it always catches my attention because it reflects our camaraderie, our friendship and also our rivalry, all in one image," he said [translated from Spanish].

During the 2022 Laver Cup, English singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding put up a performance, which Federer stated provided him and the Spaniard a moment to reflect on their illustrious careers. The Swiss described the moment captured in the picture as a brief yet powerful instance where he had expressed his gratitude to Rafael Nadal.

"At that moment Ellie Goulding was singing and it is a moment in which we are both able to reflect on everything we had just experienced, remembering our career and how lucky we have been to be tennis players, to have been able to turn our hobby into a profession. That's what that photo means to me. It was a great moment, short; held his hand for a second and basically showed my gratitude through that touch," he added.

Roger Federer: "I worked for a year or more to be able to play that last doubles match with Rafael Nadal"

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal at Laver Cup 2022

In the aforementioned interview, Roger Federer revealed that he had to overcome numerous obstacles to compete in the 2022 Laver Cup. He stated that his determination to play there stemmed from a desire to express his gratitude to his fans, family, and friends

"Throughout all these years I have experienced overwhelming emotions and I have shown how much I care about the sport, the kind of love I have for my family and the fans, and I wanted to show gratitude. I have been very lucky and in the end came that last moment, for which I had to work so hard. It's crazy," he said.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion also shared that he worked over a year to prepare for the doubles match he had played alongside Rafael Nadal. He stated that he was grateful that his last match was beautiful with many great moments

"I worked for I don't know how long, a year or more, to be able to play that last doubles match [with Nadal, at the O2 in London] . It was crazy. So when you take all this into account, the ending was beautiful and I enjoyed many moments," he added.