After the big cry came the big cry-off, with Rafael Nadal joining Roger Federer on Saturday in withdrawing from singles play at the Laver Cup.
This followed the extraordinary late night scenes at the 02 Arena, which saw the two legends in tears following their final appearance together. It was approaching 2am when the two of them came in to reflect on being a part of Federer’s valedictory match, which had sparked a remarkable outpouring of emotion.
By then Nadal was on the brink of confirming that he would be flying straight home to be with his wife Xisca, who is in the final stages of a difficult pregnancy. It appeared that the taxing personal events going on in Nadal’s life contributed to a rare public display of his feelings.
His withdrawal — a big disappointment to fans — was not a huge surprise, as it is understood that his replacement, Cam Norrie, was told some time ago to be fully prepared to step in.
It was also noteworthy that Nadal admitted that the retirement of Federer has had him thinking about his own future. Andy Murray, one year younger at 35, talked along similar lines last week, and you wonder how long it will be before there are more lachrymose farewells to members of this extraordinary generation.
‘I’m a pretty sensitive person, I’m not worried about crying. Crying is good sometimes, you need to let go of these emotions,’ Nadal told Spanish media.
late that he has been contemplating the end.
‘I was close to that moment this year, I’m not going to lie to you. During Roland Garros I thought it might be my last tournament, this is the reality.
‘From there everything went very bad physically. I injured my abs twice, at Wimbledon and in New York. It’s been a series of major misfortunes, added to these personal issues.’
Credit: d ailymail.co.uk
