Former India skipper Virat Kohli shared an emotional photo of on-court rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, saying that this was the most beautiful sporting picture for him. Roger Federer, who last week announced his retirement plan, played his final competitive match alongside Rafael Nadal in a doubles event at the Laver Cup on Friday, September 23. The 'Fedal' pair of Team Europe lost to Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock of Team World 6-4, 6(2)-7, 9-11.
After the match, both Federer and Nadal broke into tears in front of a packed house at the O2 Arena. The duo had one of the most compelling rivalries, having faced each other 40 times.
"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," Kohli said on Instagram. "When your companions cry for you, you know what you’ve been able to do with your god-given talent. Nothing but respect for these 2."
Meanwhile, Nadal said that an important part of life has left with Federer's retirement.
"For me, (it) has been a huge honour to be a part of this amazing moment of the history of our sport, and at the same time a lot of years sharing a lot of things together," Nadal said as he paid tribute to his longtime on-court rival Federer. When Roger leaves the tour, yeah, an important part of my life is leaving too because of all the moments he has been next or in front of me important moments of my life. So has been emotional (to) see the family, see all the people. Yeah, difficult to describe. But, yeah, amazing moment."
Federer finished his competitive career with 20 Grand Slam singles titles, two behind the all-time record which Nadal currently holds.
