Roger Federer has revealed that he was concerned about Rafael Nadal’s physical condition while monitoring the progress of his former adversary in the recent Swedish Open championship. The Swiss icon explained that he still keeps up with tennis scores “almost daily” and watches highlights and live matches whenever he has the opportunity.
Nadal appeared exhausted as he struggled in a 3-6, 2-6 defeat against Nuno Borges in the final of the 2024 Swedish Open last month, following a challenging journey to the title match. The 38-year-old Spaniard had endured a grueling four-hour quarter-final against Mariano Navone at the ATP 250 event and also went to three sets in his semi-final victory over Duje Ajdukovic.
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When asked if he still regularly watches tennis during an interview with Vogue, Federer expressed both surprise and disappointment upon learning about Nadal’s result in Bastad. “He lost? Oh, come on,” Federer exclaimed. “Three and two (the scoreline). Oh, God. Yeah, I saw he was down 1-0, love-40. That’s the last time I checked, a few hours ago, but when I saw the score, I was like, ‘Oh, no—I hope his body is okay.’
“So, yeah—I do stay updated with the game almost daily to see scores and results. Watching is a completely different experience—I enjoy watching it when it’s on TV. “We’ve also been following a lot of football—the Euros, and now the Olympics are coming up, so I’m going to watch all of that. I’m a huge sports fan. But again, I’m always on the move and busy.
“But particularly in the evening, when the day winds down and I have some time to relax and maybe go on YouTube to watch some highlights, I tend to do that. “I like to stay informed about what’s happening because the guys play well, and I like to see what they’re up to.”
Photo from Roger Federer Instagram
