Laver Cup 2019 – Roger Federer Lauds Rafael Nadal’s Intensity

The Swiss icon of tennis, Roger Federer has been an eternal learner throughout his career. The 20-time Grand Slam champion has come across a few diverse tactics of the sport after teaming up with Rafael Nadal at Laver Cup. 

“For me, it was exciting to spend a week around Nadal and Djokovic. Spend a week with Rafa and see how intense his intensity is,” Roger Federer said. “How does he manage to relax next to the place? How does he achieve this balance? Because if you can not do that, you will go insane. He has that with his colleagues, his team.”

Even when Federer was number one in the world and on the path of utter domination, the boy from Basel focused on reinventing his tennis and continuously improved his style of play.

One of the best ways to learn is to study your competitors and try to assimilate certain skills followed by them. To an extent, the Laver Cup of tennis has given an opportunity to World Number three, Roger Federer to learn different techniques of tennis from his rivals.

The Spaniard, Rafael Nadal is one of the gems which the men’s game has ever had. He is never satisfied with his level of play, Rafa’s underdog attitude on practice courts and his scrupulousness for each point take him to the apex of tennis. These qualities of Rafa certainly inspire the legends of the sports and impels them to inculcate these practices into their routine.   

“When he’s (Nadal) done with the training, he’s a laid back guy-the way I knew him. It impressed me how he always looks for opportunities. He returns from behind and front, playing with slice, with spin. He is always on the lookout,” Federer continued.

The two towers of ATP are tending towards the twilight of their careers, and still, they have an ascendency over the sport from all the angles. Their never-dying desire to learn, their remarkable resilience after some painful defeats and their discipline on court, certainly these factors drift them away from the rest of the tour.