Last night, at Roger Federer’s farewell at the Laver Cup, what the world witnessed was pure class, grace, and greatness. Rafael Nadal, who has been known to be Roger’s greatest rival, was sobbing. Rivalry is generally known to be bitter, with people finding opportunities to sling mud at each other and bring each other down.
But not Federer and Nadal. They have deep respect for each other’s craft and nothing but admiration for the other. They have learnt from each other and pushed each other to become better at their sport over the years. We are lucky to witness these two on and off the court, and their equation is a lesson for the world.
This is…quite extraordinary: pic.twitter.com/NikeW1NGJT
— Jon Wertheim (@jon_wertheim) September 24, 2022
Virat Kohli took to social media to share what he called the “most beautiful sporting picture ever” for him, where Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were seen sitting side by side, in tears.
For Virat Kohli, this picture gave ‘rivalry’ a whole new meaning. This is what he wrote:
“Who thought rivals can feel like this towards each other. That’s the beauty of sport. This is the most beautiful sporting picture ever for me. When your companions cry for you, you know why you’ve been able to do with your God-given talent. Nothing but respect for these two.”
Have a look at his tweet here:
Who thought rivals can feel like this towards each other. That’s the beauty of sport. This is the most beautiful sporting picture ever for me🙌❤️🫶🏼. When your companions cry for you, you know why you’ve been able to do with your god given talent.Nothing but respect for these 2. pic.twitter.com/X2VRbaP0A0
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) September 24, 2022
Completely agree with what Virat has to say here. People across the world can learn a thing or two from Federer and Nadal. Our society needs more of such sportsman spirit.