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The image of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal hand in hand and in tears after the doubles match that closed the program of the first day of competitions at the Laver Cup and the career of the Swiss will remain forever in the history of tennis and sport.
The two friend-rivals have always spent words of great admiration for each other and admitted to sharing a splendid relationship even outside the pitch. Despite the mutual respect and the many iconic moments lived around the Tour, Novak Djokovic was unable to establish such a strong bond with the other two members of the legendary Big 3 group or, at least, he never felt the need to talk about it publicly.
and perform sensational gestures. Djokovic faced the last moments of Federer's sporting career with maturity, showing that silent reverence that distinguishes his prominent personalities.
Djokovic on Federer: "Our bond is stronger now"
The Belgrade and the Swiss, however, had the time last week to discuss different topics and lay the foundations to build a more solid and intense relationship.
Djokovic explained in a press conference speaking of Federer: "I feel that this week of Laver Cup has strengthened our bond. As Roger said, we had the opportunity and the time to get inside each other's heads and spend quality time off the court.
We had some really interesting conversations about tennis but also about life in general. All this allowed us to understand each other and get to know each other better, which is very nice." During the match against Felix Auger-aliassime, Djokovic was repeatedly cheered and supported by Federer.
The Swiss also provided several tips to his teammate. Words and gestures that Djokovic particularly appreciated: "It is a unique experience to have one of my great rivals helping me. It helps me understand how he reads tennis, how he understands the game.
I really appreciate his comments, I think they can help me a lot and I like to talk about tactics with the players that I usually play all year for big goals."