"Not remembering, enjoying" - Rafael Nadal sums up 'good time' spent with Roger Federer as Swiss visits his academy

Rafael Nadal had a very special visitor in his academy in the form of his friend and long-time on-court rival Roger Federer.

The Spaniard returned to tennis after almost a year out of action at this season's Brisbane International. He booked his place in the quarterfinals following straight-set wins over Dominic Thiem and Jason Kubler but lost to Jordan Thompson in three sets despite having a few match points.

Nadal sustained a minor tear in his hip during the match, which sidelined him from the Australian Open. The 37-year-old returned to Spain and got a visit from Roger Federer in his academy.

Nadal shared several pictures of the two in Mallorca and thanked the Swiss for his visit.

"Great to have you here with me today my friend. Thanks for the visit and hope to see you again very soon," the Spaniard wrote on Instagram.

Federer and Nadal being present together at the latter's academy expectedly attracted a lot of attention and many gave their thoughts on it. US Open's Instagram page shared the Spaniard's post and captioned it:

"Remembering the good times."

The King of Clay replied by saying that they weren't remembering the good times but enjoying them.

"Not remembering, enjoying the good time today," Nadal said.

The two tennis titans forged one of the greatest rivalries in the sport's history and faced one another on 40 occasions, with the Spaniard leading the head-to-head 24-16. They locked horns in nine Grand Slam finals, with Nadal winning six of them.

The two played out some of the greatest matches in tennis history. These included the Wimbledon finals in 2007 and 2008, and the Australian Open title clashes in 2009 and 2017.

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Rafael Nadal is currently ranked 446th in the world

Rafael Nadal at the Brisbane International

Rafael Nadal's prolonged absence from the ATP Tour saw him suffer a huge drop in the rankings. The Spaniard finished 2023 below the Top 600 but his quarterfinal run in Brisbane saw him return to the Top 500, and he is currently ranked 446th in the world.

However, the 37-year-old missed the Australian Open and will not be able to defend his second-round points from 2023. As a result, he is set to suffer another drop. As of now, he will be 642nd in the ATP rankings.

It remains to be seen when the Spaniard will return to action. So far, he is registered to compete in the Barcelona Open during the clay season.