Tennis

Roger Federer picks Nadal over wife Mirka as legend cracks up Laver Cup crowd

Kate Middleton plays tennis with Roger Federer at Wimbledon

Roger Federer made a welcome return to the Laver Cup as he delighted the crowd with his presence. It comes a year on from retiring from the sport in a farewell tournament during which he competed alongside the likes of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray while playing with his long-time rival Nadal in doubles.

He was back at the Laver Cup to watch the first day of action, in which Team World took a 4-0 lead over Team Europe after Ben Shelton, Francisco Cerundolo and Felix Auger-Aliassime won their matches before Frances Tiafoe and Tommy Paul partnered up to defeat Andrey Rublev and Arthur Fils in the doubles.

As part of the event, Federer was interviewed and although he will have been disappointed with Europe’s start he clearly enjoyed the spectacle – and this was evident when asked an amusing question from his great rival Nadal.

Nadal flashed up on screen as part of a video that sent the crowd wild, before asking: “Hello Roger, how are you? I hope you are doing well. I just have a question for you – who has been your favourite doubles partner?” The Spaniard then added a cheeky wink to the camera.

Click here to join our WhatsApp community to be the first to receive breaking and exclusive tennis news

JUST IN Roger Federer emphatically proven wrong by Novak Djokovic as icon shares regret[REACTION]

Federer then smirked before replying: “I mean… I mean, I thought it was my wife until this guy (Nadal) showed up! So yeah, Rafa can have it.” He then returned the wink to Rafa and added that “last year was on another level, special.”

A year ago Federer and Nadal showed how deep their friendship runs, playing together in the final match of the former’s career and going on to pay tribute to each other in emotional scenes at The O2.

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info

Don’t miss…
Coco Gauff singled out as Roger Federer assesses tennis future before Laver Cup[INTERVIEW]
Roger Federer eyes new tennis role as Swiss watches Laver Cup from the sidelines[LATEST]
Tsitsipas claims ‘no one will ever match Federer’ despite Djokovic comments[OPINION]

“I mean, I don’t know how we got to this place over all these years, you know,” Federer said a year ago. “We have been very connected, especially, I feel, especially last 10 years, I’d say.

“I’m very happy it is where it is today, that I can call up Rafa and talk about anything. I hope he feels the same way. It’s not like we do that on a frequent basis.”

Nadal recently opened up on how he has very few friends on the current tour, having been out of action since January through injury, but he still speaks with Federer on a regular basis and the two clearly share a close bond.

Watch all the live F1 action on NOW TV for just £12 for a day.

You can enjoy Premier League, Sky Bet EFL and more thanks to Now’s Sports membership.

You can also subscribe for a month that costs £26 a month. 

Source: Read Full Article