"Genuinely good fellows and incredible athletes" - Rennae Stubbs on the rivalry and friendship between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal

Roger Federer's retirement puts an end to one of the greatest, if not the greatest, rivalries in men's tennis history. Federer and Rafael Nadal competed against each other in 40 matches on the tour, with many of those matches going down in history as all-time classics.

Their rivalry and camaraderie mean that they will be closely associated with each other even after the Swiss maestro's retirement and as Nadal plays on, and long into the future as well, believes Rennae Stubbs.

Six-time Grand Slam doubles champion Stubbs spoke about the rivalry and friendship between the iconic men's tennis duo during a recent episode of the 'Off The Ball' podcast.

"I think that Roger and Rafa will be synonymous together and and as they should be, because both of them are just genuinely good, good fellows and incredible athletes," Rennae Stubbs said.

The mutual respect between the two players once again shone bright in Nadal's message to the Swiss great soon after his retirement announcement. The Spaniard also revealed in his message that the two had spoken about the topic before Federer publicly announced his retirement.

Reflecting on their relationship beyond the tennis court, Stubbs feels that there is a 'genuine respect' between the two and it is not just a show of respect for the rest of the world. She expressed how their camaraderie translated into their matches as their rivalry progressed.

"I think it was because they genuinely liked each other as people, I think that they had a genuine, genuine respect and liked one another as people. They were genuinely good friends. And I think the level of respect they have for one another showed on the court," Stubbs continued.

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"Nadal-Djokovic, Federer-Djokovic don't have that kind of friendship; But Federer-Nadal are absolute friends" - Rennae Stubbs

Laver Cup 2019 - Day 3

Rennae Stubbs further expressed that both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have always been genuinely happy with each other's successes. They recognized that they were elevating each other's games while creating history together, similar to Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, and that also played a big part in their respect and friendship, believes Stubbs.

The former Australian player further opined that both Federer and Nadal do not have a great friendship with fellow Big 3 member Novak Djokovic, but shared an "actual friendship" with one another.

"You know, I don't think that Rafa and Novak have that kind of friendship," Stubbs said. "There's no question that Roger and Novak don't have that kind of friendship. But Roger and Rafa are absolute friends. And they mean it when they say, I want to congratulate you or well done. It is an actual friendship between the two of them."

"I think that they don't, you know, mark each other by what each other have done. They understand that they've elevated each other, much like Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. I think that they both also realize that they brought out the best in one another and they are, still to this day, very good friends," the player-turned-commentator added.

The Big 3 will play together for one last time in their illustrious careers at the Laver Cup in London, which will be held from September 23-25. Their Big 4 colleague Andy Murray will also join them in representing Team Europe and we could see different combinations of the Big 4 playing doubles matches together through the Laver Cup weekend.

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