READ: Roger Federer shares early farewell note before Rafael Nadal's final tournament - Everything Swiss said to his arch-rival of 15 years

Roger Federer penned a heartfelt farewell note for his longtime rival and friend Rafael Nadal ahead of the Spaniard's final tournament. Nadal will join his compatriots at the Davis Cup knockout stages in Malaga, where Spain will take on

Federer and Nadal shared a legendary rivalry that is regarded as one of the greatest in the sport. Though they would try to get the better of each other with their fierce tennis on the court, off the court, the two shared a good friendship.

With Federer bidding the sport adieu in 2022, Nadal decided to follow him as he announced in October that he would be hanging up his racket after the 2024 Davis Cup Finals via an emotional video message. The Swiss maestro was one of the first people to react to this announcement, admitting that he never wanted this day to arrive.

As the 38-year-old gears up to kick off his final campaign, Roger Federer took to X (formerly Twitter), where he penned an emotional farewell message for his rival and friend. The Swiss admitted that he wanted to get these things off his chest before he became too emotional.

"Vamos, @RafaelNadal! As you get ready to graduate from tennis, I’ve got a few things to share before I maybe get emotional."

The 43-year-old started by addressing how the Spaniard led the head-to-head between the two with a commanding 24-16 lead. He also said that the quality of tennis brought to the court, especially on clay, forced him to reinvent his tennis in order to give himself a shot at winning.

In their epic rivalry, Nadal won six out of the first seven matches, while Federer won six of their last seven encounters.

"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."

Every tennis fan knows and loves Nadal's superstitions, including Federer himself, who mentioned that he was a secret admirer of his routines because they made the Spaniard 'unique'.

Some of his popular rituals include such as his famous serve routine, drinking from two bottles during changeovers, and placing the labels of those bottles toward the end he is about to play from.

"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," Federer said.

The Swiss also reminisced about their first meeting at the 2004 Miami Open.

In 2004, Roger Federer, the new World No. 1 faced a 17-year-old upcoming talent from Mallorca showing off his biceps and donning a red sleeveless shirt at the Miami Open.

This boy was none other than Rafael Nadal, who was already touted to be a future great. And the young Spaniard justified the surrounding hype when he stunned the then-World No. 1 6-3, 6-3 to kick off one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports.

"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."

Federer then marveled at Nadal's illustrious career, which Federer got a front-seat view of, and mentioned his unprecedented 14 Roland Garros which put tennis on the World Map.

"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."

Federer then mentioned some of their fun memories that made their bond stronger such as playing the infamous Battle of the Surfaces, breaking the all-time attendance record in Cape Town, getting to be a part of the Spaniard's Rafa Nadal Academy, and also letting his kids play there.

He also joked that he was worried that the southpaw would turn his kids into lefties as well.

"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."

This finally brought him to his emotional Laver Cup farewell, where he teamed up with Nadal to take on Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock. Though they ended up losing the match, the image of the two holding hands and crying together teared up every single tennis fan.

Roger Federer to Rafael Nadal: "My final match... It meant everything to me that you were there by my side"

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer pictured at Laver Cup 2022 - Image Source: Getty

The Swiss had claimed that only Mirka or Nadal could trigger him to cry on that emotional night. Federer called that one of the most special moments of his career.

"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," he said in the note.

Finally, Roger Federer wished Rafael Nadal the best as the Spaniard gears up to begin the swansong of his career. He congratulated the 22-time Major champion on everything he had achieved in his illustrious career and ensured him that he would be cheering him on like a 'fan' forever,

"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."