Rafael Nadal Shows Utmost Concern for His ‘Sick’ Rival Roger Federer in a Nostalgic Recollection of Tennis Memory

When it comes to tennis, there can hardly be any better rivalry than the one between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. For almost 20 years, the two players ruled the tennis courts and had some of the most breathtaking matches between them. However, all of this came to an end when the Swiss star decided to hang up his boots. But recently, the two friends cum rival united to star in Louis Vuitton’s Core Values campaign. In a crossover that only a few expected, the two stars came ahead and talked about multiple things, including their first-ever meeting on the court.

It was back in 2004 when the two locked horns for the first time. The stage was set for an intriguing battle at the Miami Open. While Roger Federer came in as the clear favorite, Rafael Nadal had something else on his mind. Despite being number 1 in the world, the Swiss star did not have answers to the Spaniard’s on-court excellence. Eventually, he lost the match in straight sets. Talking about that match, Federer suggested that it was a very special moment for him.

He further suggested that not only was he number 1 in the world at that time but suffering a defeat from Rafa was something that he had least expected. “For me, I think the really, really special moment was when I was World No.1 in 2004 in Miami and he actually beat me which was maybe a surprise to some, but..”

However, Rafael Nadal came up with an answer to this. “But you were a little bit sick,” said Nadal to which Federer agreed. “Yeah, I had a sunstroke actually, but still he beat me fair and square,” said the 20-time grand slam winner.

In what was their first-ever meeting, Nadal defeated Federer in straight sets. The final scoreline of the match was 6-3, 6-3. While Roger Federer came into the tournament as the top-seeded player, he had to suffer an unfortunate blow. While the two discussed their first-ever meeting, Nadal also took some time to discuss Roger Federer’s personality on the court. However, he poked the 20-time grand slam winner with a hilarious admission.

Rafael Nadal makes a hilarious admission about Roger Federer

In the same Louis Vuitton video, Nadal opened up about how he felt before facing Federer for the first time. While the Spaniard was still in the early days of his tennis career, Roger Federer was already an established player and had won a couple of Grand Slam titles.

Opening up about that encounter, Nadal said that Roger Federer was a very nice person. While Nadal was a young star eager to make an impact on the court, he was too shy to talk to anyone. However, Federer was very nice to him and made him feel comfortable all the way along.

“I do remember, probably not him. When you won your first Wimbledon. It was 2003. You were a little bit arrogant (laughs). No honestly, you were super nice. I was just arriving on the tour and a junior, so I was super shy to talk to you. But you were very nice,” said Nadal while talking about their first-ever meeting.

The two went on to play a total of 40 matches against each other, with Nadal winning 24 of those encounters. Despite Nadal’s dominant h2h record, Federer won some big matches against the Spaniard. Thus, the rivalry between the two stars will be remembered for ages. What is your favorite Fedal memory? Do let us know in the comments below!