Godsick: 'Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are really close'

In early 2020, shortly after the Australian Open, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal set the record number of spectators for a tennis match thanks to a charity exhibition in Cape Town (South Africa). The 'Match in Africa' staged last February was a historic event, in addition to allowing to raise $ 3.5 million.

Roger’s agent Tony Godsick was asked how it was to work with Rafael Nadal in making the exhibition match a success. He said, “Carlos Costa —Rafa’s agent—and I worked together at IMG for years. I’ve known Rafa since he started out on tour, but because of the rivalry, we’ve all become close.

The relationship between Roger and Rafa has evolved to the extent where those two are really, really close. They’re fierce competitors on the court, and they always will be. But the minute the match is over and even during the match, they have so much respect for each other.”

Federer and Nadal have been playing each other since 2004, and their rivalry is a significant part of both men's careers. They held the top two rankings on the ATP Tour from July 2005 to 14 August 2009, and again from 11 September 2017 to 15 October 2018. They are the only pair of men to have ever finished four consecutive calendar years at the top.

Nadal ascended to No. 2 in July 2005 and held this spot for a record 160 consecutive weeks before surpassing Federer in August 2008. They have played 40 times. Nadal leads 24–16 overall and 10–4 in Grand Slam tournaments. Nadal has a winning record on clay (14–2) and outdoor hard courts (8–6), while Federer leads the indoor hard courts 5–1 and grass 3–1.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2WbcDLM