As the news of Rafael Nadal’s impending retirement made waves across the tennis world and beyond, it hit his longtime “Big Three” rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic particularly hard, too
On Thursday, the 20-time and 24-time Grand Slam winners both paid tribute to the 22-time Grand Slam champion’s “tenacity, dedication, and fighting spirit” in emotional social media tribute posts.
Soon after Nadal broke the news with a video message, tennis fans spotted Federer’s message in the comments of the Spaniard’s Instagram post.
“What a career, Rafa! I always hoped this day would never come,” the retired Swiss player wrote. “Thank you for the unforgettable memories and all your incredible achievements in the game we love. It’s been an absolute honor!”
He later shared a series of photos to Instagram Stories featuring scenes from their long rivalry—from their first interactions in 2004, to their legendary Wimbledon final in 2008, to their final match in London when they shared the same side of the court.
Nadal and Djokovic both took part in Federer’s retirement celebrations at the Laver Cup in 2022. Federer joined forces with Nadal for one last doubles match before his farewell, as Djokovic also suited up for a heavyweight Team Europe lineup that included former world No. 1 Andy Murray.
Djokovic, who is currently competing at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, shared a moving post on Instagram as he praised Nadal for his part in the “rivalry that has impacted me the most as a player.”
“Rafa, one post is not enough to express the respect I have for you and what you have done for our sport,” Djokovic wrote, captioning a photo carousel that included selfies, off-court moments and a snap from their historic 2012 Australian Open final.
“You have inspired millions of children to start playing tennis and I think that’s probably (the) greatest achievement anyone can wish for. Your tenacity, dedication, (and) fighting spirit, is going to be taught for decades. Your legacy will live forever.
“Only you know what you had to endure to become (an) icon of tennis and sport in general. Thank you for pushing me to the very limit so many times in our rivalry that has impacted me the most as a player.”
Djokovic also confirmed that he will “be there in person to pay respect to your stellar career” at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga. Nadal will represent Spain in the team competition running from November 19-24, and is expected to team up with Carlos Alcaraz in doubles. Serbia did not reach the Final 8, though it did advance to next year’s Davis Cup Qualifiers with an assist from Djokovic.
Nadal and Djokovic both took part in Federer’s retirement celebration at Laver Cup, while Djokovic has already confirmed that he will attend Nadal’s farewell at Davis Cup.
Collectively known as tennis’ Big Three, Federer, Nadal and Djokovic dominated the ATP Tour for decades and set historic records in the process: Each of them has been an all-time leader in the Grand Slam race, and combined to win 65 of the 79 majors between 2004 and 2023 (Wimbledon was not held in 2020).
With Federer hanging up his racquets in 2022 at 41-years-old after struggling with knee injuries and 38-year-old Nadal’s farewell at the end of the year, only active “Big Three” member is 37-year-old Djokovic. 2024 marked the first year that neither Federer, Nadal or Djokovic lifted a Grand Slam trophy, with Djokovic finishing runner-up to Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final.
