Many of these clashes have gone down as some of tennis’ greatest ever matches, with the pair’s epic 2008 Wimbledon final lasting just under five hours as Nadal edged the five-set thriller.
Given how long they went toe-to-toe for the sport’s biggest prizes, it would hardly be surprising if the rivals admitted to not being the best of friends.
Remarkably however, this could not be further from the truth.
Federer, who retired in 2022, previously revealed that the respect between the two is such that Spaniard cried tears of joy after watching the all-time great win his first French Open title in 2009.
When asked if he and Nadal were rivals or friends in a 2020 interview, the Swiss responded: “Can you be both? I think so. I really do.
“He’s a great person with great values, he’s got a great family. My family and his family respect each other immensely.
“He told me today that he cried when I won the French Open in 09, he was so happy for me. So it’s a great rivalry.”
The revelation is all the more impressive considering he had been eliminated from the tournament in the semi-finals, having been victorious in Paris in each of the previous four years.
Nadal, who boasts a record 14 Roland-Garros titles, was beaten by Robin Soderling in the last four, who Federer then beat in straight sets in the final to claim a Career Grand Slam.
And the 20-time major winner then made it clear just how highly he thinks of his great rival, ahead of an exhibition match between the pair.
