费达拿回忆告别战感动瞬间 与拿度手牵手“给他一个秘密的感谢”
https://i.imgur.com/SyvP4SH.jpg
撰文：颜铭辉出版：2022-09-28 15:44更新：2022-09-28 15:45赞好550000
费达拿（Roger Federer）在上周五（23日）利华杯后告别职业网坛，他场上潇洒的英姿
、场下激动的泪水，还有跟拿度（Rafa Nadal）那种男人浪漫的交流，仍深深刻入每位球
迷的记忆中。费达拿周一离开伦敦回到瑞士，当晚接受《纽约时报》记者的电话访问。经
过两日的沉淀，他说起利华杯的画面及拿度。
负责访问的记者Christopher Clarey，跟进网球新闻超过25年，在2021年曾出版费达拿的
传记。他早在2001年2月第一次访问费达拿，当时费达拿还是一位未赢过重要冠军的小伙
子。如今，费达拿已经名满天下，在掌声中退役。
https://i.imgur.com/hqkzHth.jpg
费达拿的故事，总有拿度的身影。（Getty Images）
记者问到，拿度赶赴利华杯，与费达拿拍档告别战的细节及意义。
41岁的费达拿在周一晚说：“美网之后，我联络了他（拿度），我等待他完成赛事后，让
他知道我退役的事。”
https://i.imgur.com/fSztWzD.jpg
最后一战，梦幻组合打双打。（美联社）
“我希望在他准备好一个没有打算参加利华杯的计划前，得悉我这件事。我告诉他，我应
该有5成到6成的机会打双打。我在电话上跟他说：‘记住，我会帮你留住位置。你知道家
中的情况后再告诉我，我们再联络。’不过，拿度很快就在电话上明确告诉我：‘我会尽
一切可能来陪你。’我觉得十分美妙。这显示出我们对对方何等重要，以及我们之间的尊
重。”
https://i.imgur.com/HNBmGjo.jpg
费达拿邀请拿度参加利华杯为他的双打拍档，拿度爽快地表示会尽一切可能去陪他。（Ge
tty Images）
费达拿形容，他们在激烈的竞争中一起脱颖而出，站上世界之巅，同时拥有一份宿敌之间
的珍贵友情，这是个美好故事，这个故事甚至不只属于网坛及体坛。他续说：“我觉得整
件事完成得比我想像中还要好。这是来自拿度的付出，我一定永远不会忘记他在伦敦为我
做的一切。”
https://i.imgur.com/j7R3zxQ.jpg
为了费达拿，拿度赶到伦敦，出席利华杯。（Getty Images）
在那个周五晚上的利华杯，费达拿的真挚感情流露，无论是透过言语，还是表情，抑或是
泪水，都震撼每位观众及球迷的心坎。费达拿说：“我一直是个很难控制得住自己情绪的
人，无论赢输，一开始，更多是愤怒、悲伤所以哭泣。后来，我会为胜利流下喜悦的眼泪
。”
https://i.imgur.com/YFDakJM.jpg
这张照片，诉说了一个网球最好的时代。梅利（左起）、拿度、费达拿及祖高域。（Gett
y Images）
“我觉得在那个星期五，是另一种境况。老实说，我觉得每一位，梅利、祖高域及拿度，
我从他们的眼中，仿佛看到他们职业生涯的片段在闪过。我都很清楚，大家都已在借来的
时间里，而这段获眷顾时间都够长了。当你年纪渐长，过了30岁，你会开始懂得在生活及
运动中值得真正欣赏的东西。”
在那场代表告别的利华杯上，触动最多人的画面，相信是那张费达拿跟拿度坐在长椅上，
望向萤幕，很自然地手拖手，两个男人哭得泪眼红红。费达拿说：“我有看到那张照片。
”
https://i.imgur.com/zqBlPv3.jpg
费达拿及拿度手拖手，一同落泪，画面令人触动。（Twitter）
https://i.imgur.com/3qVagUU.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/KacQdQf.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/evnHDTl.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/6zaDgm0.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/LR6R0V8.jpg
“那是个短暂的时刻，那一刻，我哭得很厉害，我不知道，所有画面在我脑海中浮现，我
很开心跟每一位一起经历这个时刻。那一刻很美好，我们坐在那里，沉醉下来，听住音乐
，或者更多是沐浴在她（歌手Ellie Goulding）的歌声里。所以，你几乎忘记有人会拍照
。我估计可能有个时刻，因为歌声还在，我们不能谈话，所以我就触摸了他。我估，这个
可能是给他的一个秘密的感谢（secret thank you）。”
https://i.imgur.com/AmuY3uv.jpg
费达拿职业生涯最后一场，与拿度拍档双打。（Getty Images）
在利华杯的双打，费达拿及拿度代表欧洲队出战，最终不敌世界队索克（Jack Sock）及
迪亚科（Frances Tiafoe），以一场输波为职业生涯写上句号。费达拿没有以此为憾，反
而觉得完整，他说：“我输了最后一场单打，我输了最后一场双打，我在尖叫及支持队友
时叫到失声。这是我最后一次团体赛落败。我失业了，但我很高兴。很好的，真的很好。
”
虽然利华杯是费达拿职业生涯的告别战，但他表明有意打表演赛。他说：“如果可以有告
别表演赛，一定很美好。你都知道，我要多谢球迷。在我公布退役前，利华杯的门票已经
卖光。很多人想买票都买不到。如果可以打多一场或者几场告别表演赛，一定是好事，但
我不肯定自己能否做到，或者应否现在去做。无论如何，我之后都想打表演赛，可能网球
会为我带来新的体验，或者回到最初那些欢乐的时刻。”
费达拿的时代过去，现今网坛有没有见到“新费达拿”的出现。这位20届大满贯得主说：
“我现在见不到，但如果有，一定要是个用单手打反手的球手。”
“不过，没有人需要学我。以前人们都觉得我会打得像森柏斯，最后都不是这回事。我觉
得每人都要有自己的风格，而不是模仿他人。即使模仿是一种最大的认同及奉承，但我都
希望每人找到自己的道路，那么网球才会更好。”
https://i.imgur.com/xLwmEix.jpg
“瑞士天王”费达拿告别职业网坛。（Getty Images）
https://tinyurl.com/2pxh8k35
原文：
Federer on His Exit and Holding Nadal’s Hand: ‘It’s Maybe a Secret Thank Yo
u’
In an interview, Roger Federer opens up about the emotions of his goodbye at t
he Laver Cup and about the future of men’s tennis. “Nobody needs to play lik
e me, by the way,” he said.
By Christopher Clarey
Sept. 27, 2022
Roger Federer, newly retired, was back in Switzerland on Monday night after fl
ying home from London, where he wrapped up a whirlwind farewell to his competi
tive career with one last match at the Laver Cup.
He partnered with his friendly rival Rafael Nadal in doubles for Team Europe,
losing a close match to Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock of Team World, which also
went on to win the Laver Cup for the first time in five attempts.
But the defeat was secondary to the occasion — an intense, emotional goodbye
for Federer and those surrounding him, including his wife, Mirka, and their fo
ur children, plus his friendly rivals Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
Federer, 41, established himself long ago as one of the greatest players in te
nnis history, but after breaking Pete Sampras’s men’s record of 14 Grand Sla
m singles titles in 2009, he chose to play on for 13 more years. He won five m
ore majors and at age 36 became the oldest men’s No. 1 since the advent of th
e ATP rankings in 1973.
His departure marks the beginning of the end of a golden age in the men’s gam
e in which Nadal, Djokovic and Federer have developed rich and long-running ri
valries, lifting each other and their sport. Federer, for all his longevity an
d tennis genius, now ranks third in the Grand Slam singles titles chase behind
Nadal with 22 and Djokovic with 21.
I first interviewed Federer in February 2001, in his home city of Basel, Switz
erland, when he was still a teenager and had yet to win his first major. On Mo
nday night, we spoke by telephone about the 21 years since and his goodbye to
competition:
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
So, how do you feel now that it’s really over?
I think I feel complete. I lost my last singles match. I lost my last doubles
match. I lost my voice from screaming and supporting the team. I lost the last
time as a team. I lost my job, but I’m very happy. I’m good. I’m really go
od. That’s the ironic part, is everybody thinks about happy fairy-tale ending
s, you know? And for me, actually it ended up being that but in a way that I n
ever thought was going to happen.
https://i.imgur.com/1YdHqtJ.jpg
Federer partnered with his friendly rival Rafael Nadal in doubles for Team Eur
ope at the Laver Cup.Credit...James Hill for The New York Times
Rafa Nadal clearly made a big effort to be part of the event on Friday, given
his wife’s pregnancy. What did it mean, knowing all that you knew, for him to
be there for you for the doubles?
I called him after the U.S. Open — I waited for him to finish that tournament
— just to let him know about my retirement.
And I just wanted to let him know before he started making some plans without
the Laver Cup at all. I told him on the phone that I was probably 50-50 or 60-
40 on making the doubles. I told him, “Look, I’ll keep you posted. You let m
e know how things are at home. And we’ll reconnect.”
But it very quickly got clear on the phone, and Rafa told me, “I will try eve
rything I possibly can to be there with you.” And that felt obviously incredi
ble for me. And it showed again how much we mean to one another and how much r
espect we have. And I just thought it would be just a beautiful, amazing story
for us, for sports, for tennis, and maybe beyond that as well, where we can c
oexist in a tough rivalry and come out on top and show that, hey, again it’s
just tennis. Yes, it’s hard, and it’s brutal sometimes, but it’s always fai
r. And you can come out on the other side and still have this great, friendly
rivalry. I just thought it ended up even better than I ever thought it would.
So, an incredible effort by Rafa, and I’ll obviously never forget what he did
for me in London.
Those raw emotions after the match were powerful for a lot of people around th
e world, particularly the scenes with you and Rafa. Do you think you maybe cha
nged the way people view male athletes?
I think I have always had a hard time keeping my emotions in check, winning an
d losing. In the beginning, it was more about being angry and sad and crying.
And then, I was happy-crying about my wins. I think on Friday, this was anothe
r animal, to be honest, because I think all of the guys — Andy [Murray], Nova
k and also Rafa — saw their careers flashing in front of their eyes, knowing
that we all in a way have been on borrowed time for long enough already. As yo
u get older, you get into your 30s, you start knowing what you really apprecia
te in life but also from the sport.
https://i.imgur.com/NO6O5cl.jpg
“I was sobbing so hard, and, I don’t know, everything was going through my m
ind about how happy I am to actually experience this moment right there with e
verybody,” Federer said.Credit...Ella Ling/Shutterstock
What’s it like to look at that image?
Well, I mean, it was a short moment. I think at one point, I was sobbing so ha
rd, and I don’t know, everything was going through my mind about how happy I
am to actually experience this moment right there with everybody. And I think
that’s what was so beautiful about just sitting there, taking it all in while
the music was playing, and the focus was maybe more on her [the singer Ellie
Goulding]. So, you almost forgot that you’re still being taken pictures of. I
guess at one point, just because obviously I couldn’t speak and the music wa
s there, I guess I just touched him, and I guess it’s maybe a secret thank yo
u. I don’t know what it was, but for me, that’s maybe what it was and how it
felt and some pictures came out of it. Different ones. Not just that one but
other ones, too, that were just completely crazy, you know, so with different
angles, and I hope to get those because they mean a lot to me.
That moment when you’re talking to your kids and telling them, I’m not cryin
g because I’m sad. I’m crying because I’m happy. I think any parent could r
elate to that.
I didn’t know that people could hear that. They looked so sad to me, and when
I told them I was retiring, also three of them were crying, because they thin
k that I’m sad about it, but I’m truly not. And, of course, a moment like th
is is so powerful in the arena. It was hard not to cry at some point, and not
just hard for them.
You dehydrated the world.
We’ve got to recharge on those tears.
You’ve said, “It’s time to stop. I can feel it.” Is that mostly based on f
eeling you just can’t move the way you need to move on tour anymore to compet
e?
That’s part of it. It’s also the age, let’s be honest. And going to the ver
y end of it, I don’t see the point. I tried so long the last few years that i
t’s fine. You know, it’s all good. And you get to a point where, you know, w
hen I did the surgery last year I knew it was going be a long road back. And i
t was going to take me probably a year.
So, of course, in my dream, I saw myself playing again, but I was very realist
ic about the comeback. Number one, I did it for my personal life. I knew it wa
s the right thing to do: Let’s get this leg fixed and all that. For that, I h
ad to do a proper rehab. If I just retire, I know I will not do my rehab corre
ctly. So, if I stay active and I’m still a professional tennis player, I know
I will do it 100 percent right. And I keep the options open to hopefully mayb
e return to exhibition tennis at least, 250s hopefully, 500s and 1000s if thin
gs really go super well. And Grand Slams if, you know, magic happens.
As time went by, I could feel less and less chance as the knee was creating pr
oblems for me as I was struggling to power through. And that’s when I ultimat
ely said, look, it’s OK, I accept it. Because I left it all out there. Nothin
g more to prove.
You rarely showed it, but what percentage of your matches did you play over th
e years in some kind of pain?
I think we all play sick and hurt. I was always of the impression that I can p
lay through some pain, a lot of pain, like we all have to. But I think I alway
s felt my body very well. I knew when I could power through and when I had to
be careful. And I was always of the opinion that I’d rather take the rest at
some point: give myself the extra week, the extra day, the extra hour, the ext
ra month, whatever it is, and take it easy, go back to training and then come
back strong again. That’s why I tried to avoid any sorts of injections and op
erations for the longest time until I had to have surgery in 2016.
I know you were joking with your teammates in London about your lack of mobili
ty, but are you confident now after playing the doubles that your body will al
low you to play exhibition tennis?
I have to go back to the drawing board now and just see after this incredible
weekend, what I should do next.
I think it would be beautiful to somehow have a goodbye exhibition game, you k
now, and thank the fans, because obviously Laver Cup was already sold out befo
re I knew about retirement. A lot of people would have loved to get more ticke
ts and couldn’t, so I just feel maybe it would be nice to have one more or se
veral goodbye exhibitions, but I’m not sure if I could or I should do that no
w. But obviously I would love to play exhibitions down the road, take tennis t
o new places or take it back to fun places where I had a blast.
As you step away, do you see anybody out there who plays the game like you do?
Not right now. Obviously, it would have to be a guy with a one-handed backhand
. Nobody needs to play like me, by the way. People also thought I was going to
play like Pete Sampras, and I didn’t. I think everybody needs to be their ow
n version of themselves. And not a copycat, even though copying is the biggest
sign of flattery. But I wish all of them to find their own selves, and tennis
will be great. I’m sure I’ll always be the No. 1 fan of the game. And I’ll
follow, sometimes in the stands, sometimes on TV, but of course, I hope for e
nough one-handers, enough attacking tennis, enough flair. But I’m going to si
t back and relax and watch the game from a different angle.
Meanwhile, your rivals play on. You said it was important to retire first as y
ou are the oldest. Were you worried Rafa would beat you to it this spring when
he was considering retirement because of his foot problems?
I got a scare with Murray, too. I remember vividly when I saw him in the locke
r room in Australia in 2019 after his Bautista match [referring to Roberto Bau
tista Agut]. I remember he said, “I might be done.” We were asked to do fare
well videos; I had a chance to go. I went up to him and asked him, “Are you l
ike seriously done?” And I remember him telling me, “Well, with this hip, I
can’t play anymore.” So, he knew he was at a huge crossroads in his life. Bu
t yeah, I’m happy I could go first, because I also am supposed to go first. S
o, that’s why it’s felt good. And I hope they can all play as long as possib
le and squeeze that lemon out. I really wish the best for them.
Christopher Clarey has covered tennis and global sports for The Times and the
International Herald Tribune for more than 25 years from bases in France, Spai
n and the United States. His book “The Master: The Long Run and Beautiful Gam
e of Roger Federer” was published in 2021. @christophclarey
A version of this article appears in print on Sept. 28, 2022, Section B, Page
8 of the New York edition with the headline: Roger Federer on the Tears of an
Unconventional Fairy-Tale Ending. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe