By News18,Ritayan Basu
Copyright news18
Roger Federer may have retired from professional tennis nearly three years ago, but the possibility of him returning to the court still lingers. His greatest rival and longtime friend, Rafael Nadal, will commemorate the first anniversary of his own retirement this November. Together, Federer and Nadal created one of the most legendary rivalries in sports history, and now rumours of a reunion are starting to thrill fans worldwide.
At 44, Federer has made efforts to stay active since his emotional farewell at the 2022 Laver Cup. Although he has resisted a full comeback, the Swiss icon often shares snippets of his tennis sessions on social media, fuelling speculation. Recently, he heightened excitement by suggesting the idea of a special tour with Nadal and other recently retired stars.
Speaking to NBC ahead of the Laver Cup, Federer expressed genuine interest in playing again: “Yes, why not? I love Rafa. I played four hours of tennis in San Francisco and an hour and a half in Los Angeles the other day. I’m playing a lot to stay in shape. I know Rafa is also open to playing tennis.”
ALSO WATCH | ‘Slam-Dunk’: Roger Federer, Steph Curry Add Sheen To Laver Cup 2025
The 20-time Grand Slam champion even proposed a tentative name: the “Fedal Tour,” a nod to their famous rivalry.
“A senior’s circuit sounds terrible (laughs), but maybe we could create something like that, the ‘Fedal’ tour, it would be cool,” Federer said.
“One of the reasons I started the Laver Cup was to celebrate the legends of the sport,” he answered. “We already had a veterans’ tournament, called the Champions Tour, but I’m sure there’s a lot of appetite to see past champions. I could look into that for sure,” he added.
Senior-Style Tour A Reality?
Tony Godsick, Federer’s longtime agent and chairman of the Laver Cup, confirmed that discussions are already in progress for a “senior-style” tennis circuit.
“I’ve been pressuring him a little bit, saying, ‘Come on, people want to see you play again. You can do a few senior events,’” Godsick said.
“We’ve had some talks with Rafa about organising a tour together. Roger just wanted to make sure his knee was in good shape — he didn’t want to be left totally broken after his career, so he’s taken some time. He’s not quite there yet, but he’s spending a lot of time in the gym,” he added.
