Reports: With Rafael Nadal - Is Real Madrid planning a superlative farewell to Roger Federer?
As reported by ESPN and Marca in Spain, Real Madrid may be planning a very special farewell to the great rivalry between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. In which the two exceptional talents could improve their own world record by quite a bit.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit:
Sep 19, 2022, 10:27 am
They all want to be there when Roger Federer finally says goodbye to tennis. So it's no wonder that tickets for the best seats in the upcoming Laver Cup are changing hands at huge sums. And this despite the fact that it is not yet 100% certain whether the Maestro can even start in the team fight against the rest of the world. Physical complaints continue to make it difficult for the Swiss to return to competitive form.
However, if you believe reports from Marca and ESPN in Spain, there could be another highlight with Roger Federer as an active player - if only at exhibition level: As the two Spanish gazettes reported, Real Madrid is planning to inaugurate the Santiago Bernabeu a very special action: a big farewell event with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
New world record for Fedal?
The latter is himself a big supporter of the "royal" and long-time companion, rival and especially friend of Roger Federer. The Spaniard has already held many an exhibition event with the Swiss, most recently in 2020 in Cape Town, where "Fedal" was able to set a new world record with 51,954 spectators. Federer narrowly won in three sets.
This world record could shake the plans of Real Madrid, in the renovated Santiago Bernabeu up to 80,000 spectators would be conceivable for the big "Fedal" farewell. And that these could actually be achieved is shown quite impressively by the prices for remaining places at Roger Federer's upcoming farewell at the Laver Cup.
So far, these rumors have not been confirmed by Real Madrid, Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal. The Santiago Bernabeu is currently undergoing renovations, but construction work should be finalized by the end of the year. The fact that an extendable basketball and tennis court has been integrated into the stadium is another indication that the royal plans are probably not out of thin air.