{"id":76212,"date":"2024-11-22T11:46:20","date_gmt":"2024-11-22T16:46:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/?p=76212"},"modified":"2024-11-22T11:46:20","modified_gmt":"2024-11-22T16:46:20","slug":"david-ferrer-roger-federer-novak-djokovic-rafael-nadal-farewell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2024\/11\/22\/david-ferrer-roger-federer-novak-djokovic-rafael-nadal-farewell\/","title":{"rendered":"David Ferrer Blames Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic for Missing Rafael Nadal\u2019s Farewell"},"content":{"rendered":"

Spain\u2019s Davis Cup captain, David Ferrer, has described Rafael Nadal<\/a>\u2019s farewell ceremony after his final match as \u201ca bit sad\u201d and \u201cwatered down.\u201d In a candid interview, Ferrer highlighted the absence of \u201cvery important people\u201d who had played key roles in Nadal\u2019s illustrious career, singling out Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic as notable absentees. Nadal, an icon of the sport, bowed out of professional tennis<\/a> following a loss to Botic van de Zandschulp during Spain\u2019s Davis Cup quarter-final against the Netherlands.<\/p>\n

Despite an emotional speech from Nadal and a tribute video<\/a> featuring Djokovic, Federer, Andy Murray, Serena Williams, and football legends, Ferrer expressed his disappointment. He remarked that the absence of Federer and Djokovic in person left the farewell ceremony lacking the grandeur it deserved.<\/p>\n

Ferrer Reflects on Nadal\u2019s Farewell<\/b>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Speaking to <\/span>El Partidazo de Cope<\/span><\/a> Ferrer shared his sorrow about the circumstances of Nadal\u2019s retirement. Spain\u2019s unexpected loss and early exit from the Davis Cup marked the end of Nadal\u2019s playing days and created a less-than-ideal setting for a farewell. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t the scenario we wanted. We were favorites, but we didn\u2019t show it,\u201d Ferrer admitted. He also pointed out the rushed nature of the tribute, blaming the format of the Davis Cup for the subdued atmosphere.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe farewell was done with the best of intentions, but it was after losing and in a hurry… it was a bit sad. I missed Federer, Djokovic, [Pau] Gasol, who is a close friend of his. It was his last match, and we won\u2019t see him on a court again. I missed those people.” Ferrer lamented. However, he reassured fans that Nadal\u2019s greatness would continue to be celebrated in the future at prestigious tournaments, where he is sure to receive the send-off he truly deserves.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Spaniard and Federer\u2019s rivalry is regarded as one of tennis\u2019s greatest, with the pair having faced each other 40 times. Their relationship extended beyond the court, with Federer attending the opening of Nadal\u2019s tennis academy in 2016 and Nadal sharing an emotional moment during Federer\u2019s retirement at the Laver Cup in 2022.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Novak Djokovic, who holds a storied rivalry with Nadal as well, had <\/span>stated on the day of Nadal’s retirement announcement<\/span><\/a>, \u201cI will be there in person to pay respect to your stellar career.\u201d However, the Serb was only seen on the screens giving a video message to the Spaniard, but not in person.<\/span><\/p>\n

Federer and Djokovic’s absence this time, however, drew attention. Ferrer noted that the lack of these personal connections at the ceremony detracted from the occasion\u2019s emotional weight. Pau Gasol, the Spanish NBA legend and close friend of Nadal, was also missed. \u201cIt should not have been me speaking at the ceremony,\u201d Ferrer confessed, underscoring his belief that the event deserved a more illustrious lineup.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As Nadal transitions into retirement, he leaves behind a legacy unmatched in the sport, with 22 Grand Slam titles and countless memories. His farewell, while bittersweet, marks the end of an era and opens the door for tennis fans worldwide to reflect on his incredible career and await future tributes worthy of his stature.<\/span><\/p>\n

Main Photo Credit: Peter van den Berg-USA TODAY Sports<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Spain\u2019s Davis Cup captain, David Ferrer, has described Rafael Nadal\u2019s farewell ceremony after his final match as \u201ca bit sad\u201d and \u201cwatered down.\u201d In a candid interview, Ferrer highlighted the absence of \u201cvery important people\u201d who had played key roles in Nadal\u2019s illustrious career, singling out Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic as notable absentees. Nadal, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5286,"featured_media":74403,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,11519],"tags":[445,22,42640,135,114,25],"class_list":["post-76212","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-atp","category-tennis","tag-david-ferrer","tag-novak-djokovic","tag-paul-gasol","tag-rafael-nadal","tag-roger-federer","tag-serena-williams"],"modified_by":"Yesh Ginsburg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76212","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5286"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76212"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76212\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/74403"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76212"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}