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“He’d Pick Me to Be Equal With”: Rafael Nadal on Equaling Roger Federer’s Grand Slam Record

Published 11/14/2020, 9:30 AM EST

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Rafael Nadal is preparing himself to charge towards his maiden ATP Finals title. Having recently equaled Roger Federer‘s Grand Slam tally of 20 at the 2020 French Open, Nadal again had a few good words for his rival.

In a recent interview, Rafael Nadal spoke about sharing the record with Federer and returned a few kind words for his most fierce rival.

“I think he’d pick me to be equal with.”

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Roger Federer’s message to Rafael Nadal

Earlier, Federer had written a heartful letter to Nadal 0n the eve of the Spaniard’s record-extending 13th French Open title and record-equaling 20th Grand Slam. Summing up their rivalry in a few sentences, Federer greeted Nadal.

“It is a true honor for me to congratulate him on his 20th Grand Slam victory. I hope 20 is just another step on the continuing journey for both of us,” Federer had written this message on his social media handles when Nadal won the 2020 French Open.

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Further, in the interview with BBC, Nadal was asked about his retirement and indicated that he isn’t prepared for it.

“I think you can’t prepare for that. At 24, I never expected to be where I am today.”

Talking about the ATP Finals 2020, the two groups in the tour finals have been named ‘Group Tokyo 1970’ and ‘Group London 2020’ to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the ATP Finals.

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The first edition was held in 1970 in Tokyo. And now we are in the 51st edition with Roger Federer holding the record for most titles with six.

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Nadal has been drawn into the ‘Group London 2020’ and will be in the hunt for his first tour finals title.

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Why Nadal hasn’t won the ATP Finals? In most years, Nadal’s season more or less ends after the US Open. As the Spaniard plays less after the US Open, he is mostly not fully prepared for the tour finals. But given this year’s jumbled schedule, Nadal seems fully fit and prepared for the year-end Finals. Let’s see if he finally lays his hands on the ATP Finals trophy.

“Gonna Keep Fighting for It”: Rafael Nadal on His Title-less Run at ATP Finals

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Written by:

Bhavishya Mittal

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Bhavishya Mittal is a tennis author for EssentiallySports, who is currently pursuing his Bachelor's degree in Journalism from Manipal University. A former sports editor for The Manipal Journal, Bhavishya has also worked for The New Indian Express. He has a keen eye for many sports but he is a particularly ardent follower of tennis, with a zest to create riveting articles on the ever-evolving sport.
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