Rafael Nadal revealed that Roger Federer impressed him the most during his 22-year-old career while admitting that watching the Swiss play “moved” him more than Novak Djokovic.
Nadal and Federer played one another for a total of 40 times with the Spaniard leading 24-16 overall, including 14-10 in finals.
While the two shared one of the greatest rivalries of all time, they became good friends during the latter part of their careers and spoke highly of each other.
Nadal is currently in Australia, participating in the Brisbane International to prepare for the Australian Open 2024. The Spaniard praised Federer during an interview saying that he had a massive influence on him.
“Since I have memory, he is the player who has impressed me the most, the one who has entertained me the most, the one who has moved me the most. Watching Federer play has moved me more than Djokovic, and in the end, tennis is about emotion; it’s the emotion that draws you to it,” Nadal was quoted as saying on El Pais.
It must be noted that Federer and Nadal, who have often been named “Fedal” by fans, took on Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe who beat them in three sets in Laver Cup 2022 in the Swiss' last professional match.
But everyone was in tears when Federer walked off the court after the match.
Djokovic leads the Grand Slam race with a whopping 24 titles to his name, he is followed closely by Nadal who has 22, while Federer retired with 20 majors.
The Serb dominated the 2023 tennis season where he won the Australian Open, French Open, and the US Open. The 36-year-old also claimed the ATP Finals event.
The 2024 tennis season began in Australia which is likely to be Nadal’s last as a professional player.
On the other hand, Djokovic has no plan to stop anytime and he would be looking forward to extending his Grand Slam tally as the Serb is still in perfect shape.
Nadal will play his first singles on the court for the first time since January 2023 when he suffered an injury that kept him out for almost a year.
