{"id":46707,"date":"2025-05-08T02:25:25","date_gmt":"2025-05-08T02:25:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=46707"},"modified":"2025-05-08T02:26:05","modified_gmt":"2025-05-08T02:26:05","slug":"46707","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=46707","title":{"rendered":"When Roger Federer fondly looked back on his first memories of Rafael Nadal! \ud83d\ude0d\ud83e\udd1d"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal scripted one of the most talked-about sporting rivalries of all time<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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In a heart-warming conversation with Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer looked back on the day their rivalry was born. The Swiss maestro also revealed his first impression of the Spaniard and praised Nadal\u2019s legendary rise since.<\/p>\n

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer recently broke the internet with their snowy adventure as part of Louis Vuitton\u2019s \u2018Core Values\u2019 campaign. Amid the snowfall and the backdrop of a mountain, the arch-rivals reminisced about their careers and their on-court meetings.<\/p>\n

While the Spaniard revealed that he\u00a0distinctly remembered\u00a0meeting Federer for the first time after his maiden Grand Slam triumph at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships, the Swiss confessed to having no memory of the same. He, however, said that he first noticed\u00a0Rafael Nadal\u00a0earlier that year during his Monte-Carlo Masters debut.<\/p>\n

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The Spaniard, aged 17 at the time, staged an inspired run in Monte-Carlo, reaching the third round after battling through qualifiers. He was downed by eventual runner-up Guillermo Coria.<\/p>\n

“I do remember your first match in Monaco,” Federer said during their recent conversation.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The former World No. 1 added that the tour already had an inkling of what lay ahead for them \u2013 all of which, he said, proved correct.<\/p>\n

“He was super young, so good. And, of course we were all thinking: another Spaniard, another claycourter, dirt-baller, future top-tenner or maybe probably even more. And he achieved everything,” Roger Federer noted.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Swiss also recalled their \u201cspecial\u201d first meeting which came a year later, in the third round of the Miami Open \u2013 the outcome of which surprised many.<\/p>\n

“For me, I think the really, really special moment was when I was World No. 1 in 2004 and I played in Miami and he actually beat me, which was maybe a surprise to some,” he said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

At this point, Rafael Nadal chimed in, noting that\u00a0Roger Federer\u00a0was recovering from a heatstroke he suffered during his run in Indian Wells. The latter, though, clarified that he was beaten \u2018fair and square\u2019 in the 6-3, 6-3 loss.<\/p>\n

“But you were a little bit sick,” the 22-time Grand Slam winner said, laughing.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

“I had a sunstroke, actually,” the Swiss agreed. “But still he beat me fair and square.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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Roger Federer on his rivalry with Rafael Nadal: “I don\u2019t miss those days, but I miss them”<\/h2>\n
\"The
The Swiss and the Spaniard pictured at the 2022 Laver Cup 2022<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Roger Federer scripted iconic rivalries with the likes of Rafael Nadal (4<\/a>0 meetings), Novak Djokovic (50 meetings) and Andy Murray (25 meetings) across almost two decades. He cherished the memories of their rise.<\/p>\n

“And I mean, that was cool, you know, to see the young players come up. The Murrays, the Djokovics, and having a chance to play them the very first time. That first match (against Nadal) will always be very meaningful, even though I lost it,” he said during the same\u00a0conversation.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Swiss and the Spaniard\u2019s final clash came in the semifinals of the 2019 Wimbledon Championships. The former concluded their rivalry with a win and a 24-16 record in the Spaniard\u2019s favor.<\/p>\n

Federer said that while he enjoyed great battles with several other players on the tour,\u00a0those with Nadal were special.<\/p>\n

“And it\u2019s been a great rivalry with so many other players, but Rafa, of course, with his playing style and his sort of attitude on court at a young, young age, was not like everybody else. You could feel that there was something special, for sure,” he said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

“I don\u2019t miss those days, but I miss them because it was obviously a big moment when we played each other,” he added.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal scripted one of the most talked-about sporting rivalries of all time In a heart-warming conversation with Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer looked back… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":46709,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46707","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tennis"],"yoast_head":"\nWhen Roger Federer fondly looked back on his first memories of Rafael Nadal! \ud83d\ude0d\ud83e\udd1d - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=46707\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"When Roger Federer fondly looked back on his first memories of Rafael Nadal! 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