‘We love each other, but we are still rivals’ – Roger Federer lifts lid on Rafael Nadal relationship

ATP Tour
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer

Roger Federer says that he and Rafael Nadal ‘love each other,’ but the rivalry will remain fierce.

The duo have been locked in a rivalry for just about all of their careers, although it has mellowed as they have got older and Novak Djokovic has muscled in on it.

Federer and Nadal have also teamed together at two Laver Cups in the last three years, which has also appeared to have given them a fresh insight on each other.

“He is a rival and a friend,” Federer told Swiss media outlet RTS of Nadal.

“We understand each other really well, we have a lot of respect, I think, one another.

“Two years ago in Prague the Laver Cup showed us even more how similar we are, but we still stay different.

“We can love each other but in the same time the rivalry will stay there and the respect is just enormous.

“I have respect for him, his family and friends. And what he achieved is just unbelievable.”

Nadal leads the head-t-head between the players, though that is skewered slightly by his prowess of clay and the relative rarity of grass court matches on the tennis calendar, which is Federer’s speciality.

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Rafael Nadal Roger Federer

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