MOSCOW, Sep 28 Winner of 20 Grand Slam tournaments Swiss Roger Federer admitted that that he told the Spaniard Rafael Nadal one of the first about his plans to end his professional career as a tennis player. Federer announced on September 15 that he would end his career at the end of the Laver Cup. On Friday, the ex-first racket of the world played the final match of his career, paired with Nadal, they lost in this tournament to Jack Sock and Francis Tiafoe from the USA, after which a ceremony was held dedicated to the departure of the 41-year-old Swiss from the sport. «I called him (Nadal ) after the US Open. I was waiting for him to finish this tournament to let him know about my retirement. And I just wanted to let him know before he starts making any plans without the Laver Cup at all. I told him on phone that — 50/50 or 60/40 — I'll play doubles. I told him: «Listen, I'll keep you posted. Let me know how things are at home. And we will reconnect,» Federer was quoted as saying by the New York Times. «But things cleared up very quickly over the phone, and Rafa told me, 'I'll do everything in my power to be with you.' And it seemed absolutely incredible to me. And it showed again how much we mean to each other. How we respect each other. And I just thought that it would be just a beautiful, amazing story for us, for sports, for tennis, and maybe not only, where we can coexist in a tough rivalry. Get on the podium and show that, hey, it's just tennis. Yes, it's hard, sometimes cruel, but always fair. I will never forget Rafa's incredible efforts — what he did for me in London,» added the Swiss.
