Rafael Nadal: 'Roger Federer is the same as several years ago'

For the first time since 1999, we will see a Grand Slam tournament (the US Open 2020) without Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. The Swiss phenomenon, who has only played in the Australian Open this year, has undergone two surgeries on his right knee that will keep him in the pits until the start of next season. The Spaniard, on the other hand, gave up on defending the title he won in New York in 2019, having Roland Garros as his clear objective, scheduled for the end of September. In the event of a 13th win in Paris, the former world number 1 would equal Federer's record of 20 Grand Slam titles. Fans are quite skeptical about the real chances that Roger will return to the highest level at almost 40, but the Swiss has already accustomed us to completely unexpected exploits (like the Australian Open 2017). In a recent interview with GQ magazine, Nadal revealed that Federer's choices have nothing to do with him.

Nadal on Roger Federer

"I don't think Roger Federer continues to play tennis for me or for anyone," Rafael Nadal said. "He continues to play tennis because he enjoys the sport and because he enjoys continuing to play tennis. For this simple reason, because he enjoys doing what he does, his passion. It's the same as several years ago." Rafael Nadal also spoke very highly of his Uncle Toni, attributing his very presence in the tennis world to the 59-year-old. "f we speak in sporting terms, Toni has without a doubt been the most important person in my career. Without him directly, I wouldn't be a tennis player," asserted the World No. 2. Federer and Nadal have played each other 40 times, with Nadal leading the head to head 24–16. Of their 40 matches, 20 have been on hard court (14 of them in outdoor hard court and 6 on indoor hard court), 16 have been on clay, and 4 have been on grass. Federer leads on hard court (11–9), grass (3–1), and indoor hard court (5–1). Nadal leads on clay (14–2) and outdoor hard court (8–6). Nadal leads 14–10 in finals. A total of 14 matches have been in Grand Slams with Nadal leading 10–4. Nadal leads 6–0 at the French Open and 3–1 at the Australian Open, while Federer leads 3–1 at Wimbledon. The two have yet to meet in the US Open. Federer with 20 total major titles, and Nadal with 19, are first and second on the men's all-time list for the most majors titles, and hold numerous other records between them.

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