Rafael Nadal and Rodger Federer have shared one of not just tennis, but sports’ greatest-ever rivalries.
As a pair of hugely likeable and even more talented stars, their battles were legendary, and the respective titles they shared across two illustrious careers remain impossible to ignore.
But, it has often been speculated what the nature of their relationship was actually like, given the mutual respect that was evident, but the sport which put them at odds with one another for so many years.
Well, the Spaniard has finally sought to shed some light on that very topic.
But does Nadal consider Federer a friend, even after the 42-year-old has been retired for nearly two years? We take a closer look…
What Rafael Nadal said about Roger Federer
It cannot be easy to maintain a healthy relationship with an opponent, especially when the desire to win burns so strongly inside the two competitors in question.
After all, a hunger to make history surely trumps any friendship in this cutthroat sport.
Well, it seems that was certainly the case for Nadal, who shared 40 fine battles with the Swiss superstar.
Now, speaking about the 20-time Grand Slam champion, he has claimed: ‘We have shared most of our career. We have helped each other. We have also taken away a lot from each other. We have achieved a level of self-demand that is difficult to repeat because we knew that we could not afford to fail.
‘That competition pushed us to the limit. I wouldn’t consider him a friend, but someone familiar, with whom I have a great relationship.’
A sporting rivalry that will go down in history
Given the two still rank second and third respectively on the men’s all-time list for most Grand Slams ever, their fierce competition is well-documented.
However, it runs much deeper than merely vying for titles, as the two have actually shared the court against each other numerous times, with varying results.
Naturally, Nadal leads Federer on clay, having won 14 of the 16 meetings enjoyed there.
This is balanced out by the latter taking 11 wins from the 20 hard-court match-ups they have played out, as well as three of the four matches played on grass.
A rivalry that spanned generations of tennis, they remain the only pair of men to have finished six calendar years in a row as the top two ranked players on the ATP Tour, a feat unlikely to be shattered any time soon despite Nadal admitting that one current star is better now than he was at his age.
Their presence alongside one another, in one of the sport’s most competitive eras, is crazy. But, despite the two being responsible for stealing various titles, without one another it is unlikely they would have reached such lofty heights.
They elevated the sport with their dominance, and for that mutual respect will always remain, friends or not.
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