Rafael Nadal will be part of this year’s Wimbledon but he will be missing his biggest rival and friend Roger Federer. The Swiss legend is not part of Wimbledon 2022 as he is currently recovering from an injury. During the press conference, Nadal opened up about his friendship and rivalry with Federer.
For Nadal, he cannot think of his tennis career without having Federer in his mind. Moreover, he said, “I mean, we shared a lot of important things together. It’s difficult in some ways to think of tennis in the last 15, 20 years without thinking about the rivalry that we have.”
Federer and Nadal have played each other 40 times till now in their career. Nadal has been dominating Federer with a head-to-head record of 24–16. The two have given some exciting and nail-biting games that have gone down as iconic matches in the history of tennis.
Rafael Nadal reveals Roger Federer helps him in improving his tennis
The long-standing friendship between Nadal and Federer is known to everyone in the tennis world. However, what is surprising is that the two give each other tips on improving their game. During the press conference, Nadal revealed how Federer tells him where he should improve.
Moreover, the Spaniard said, “But, of course, to have somebody like him, like a rival, that he’s amazingly good, helps you to let you know the things that you have to do better.” Considering their rivalry, it came as a surprise to many tennis fans.
Rafael Nadal is proud of his rivalry with Roger Federer but he is bothered by the fact that they never met at US Open 😯
Do you think their meeting at US Open is still possible? 🤔#RafaelNadal #RogerFederer #USOpen #Tennis pic.twitter.com/wxVqls3bxp
— Sportskeeda Tennis (@SK__Tennis) June 25, 2022
However, there is one thing that worries Nadal when it comes to Federer. He has played multiple times with the Swiss star in the Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon. However, in a rivalry of 18 years, the two have never faced each other in the US Open.
Furthermore, the 22-time grand slam champion said, “We’ve been playing in every big stadium, but not in New York, that’s the only thing that bothers me a little bit, that we never played in New York.” If all goes well, Federer might return to action just in time for the US Open.