Exclusive: Tommy Haas amazed by Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal bond at Laver Cup – ‘Rafa could’ve been a father any day’

Former tennis star Tommy Haas has told Eurosport of his emotions after his good friend Roger Federer bowed out from the sport in an unforgettable Laver Cup send-off in London.

“It was important for me to be there. I’ve never been to the Laver Cup before. It was a great atmosphere in the O2 Arena. It was very emotional, almost too emotional.

“Roger is an incredible guy, on and off the court – as a friend, as a father, as a man. You always have fun with him. He has a great outlook on life and it’s wonderful to spend time with people like him.

“Roger is in the same situation now as I was back then: you are no longer on the tour. But when we both play table tennis, we have fun, we have the ambition to win.

“You can talk about Roger’s career for a long time. It’s unbelievable what he achieved, how long and consistently. He played tennis as if he was from another planet, that was the time from 2004 to 2006.”

Haas also paid tribute to Nadal, who ensured that he was there to partner his great friend on his big night, even though he was expecting a child back home at any point. He flew back to Mallorca after the match and Haas said it was a wonderful statement.

Nadal and Federer’s doubles match was on September 23 and Nadal’s baby was born in early October.

“Unbelievably, many emotions,” said Haas. “If you are an insider, you know that Rafa and Roger get along well. Rafa could have been a father any day in London at that time and he was still there.

“Roger is so incredibly popular. You become a fan of the guy relatively quickly. You could feel that. There was no one among the 18,000-19,000 in the O2 Arena who didn’t have tears in their eyes. The farewell couldn’t have been better.”

While Federer is now happily retired, Nadal’s illustrious career continues and he will be aiming to extend his record tally of 22 Grand Slam singles titles as he seeks to defend his Australian Open title in January.

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