"I don't want to look like I'm gonna be Roger Federer's boyfriend" - When Rafael Nadal joked about his closeness with Swiss

By Pritha Ghosh

Modified Nov 22, 2024 01:31 GMT

Nadal Federer — Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer shared a great bond on and off the court | Image Source: Getty

Rafael Nadal once joked about his closeness with his arch-rival Roger Federer, saying that he felt like he was almost on the verge of looking like he was the Swiss' boyfriend. The incident took place during the US Open in 2017.

Nadal and Federer both reached the quarterfinals in New York, setting up a potential clash in the semifinals. While the Spaniard advanced to the last four by defeating Andrey Rublev, Federer fell short, losing to Juan Martin del Potro.

After defeating Rublev, Nadal was asked in a press conference about the possibility of facing Federer for the first time at the US Open and what he admired most about him. He responded with a laugh:

"I don't want to look like I gonna be his boyfriend, no? We don't want to talk these kind of things before important match. We have a lot of respect for each other, no? We played a lot of times. I think we did important things for tennis. We appreciate that. We always had a good relationship. We played for our foundations."

"I think he always have been a great ambassador for tennis and for our sport, with good image, of course, and representing, I think, good values," the 22-time Grand Slam champion added.

About the author

Pritha is one of the driving forces behind Sportskeeda's tennis & baseball coverage, serving as an assistant content manager and editor. What began as a casual escape from her tiring biotechnology degree course in early 2022 has blossomed into a passion she loves, cherishes, and breathes every day.

Pritha’s love for the sport was spawned by her dad who showed her clips of "GOAT" Steffi Graf’s matches. Despite a thwarted dream of playing professionally due to injury, she finds solace in reporting the sport, while also mentoring other writers to ensure every article is error-free and top-notch. She double checks credible sources, such as the tournament/player handles and big tennis media outlets, and gives proper credit where required.

Pritha's journey at Sportskeeda is marked by nearly 2000 articles and close to 12 million views, with the "dream-come-true" moment of having her article shared by Chris Evert serving as a highlight of her career. A lifelong Wimbledon fan, Pritha also adores Rafael Nadal, Elena Rybakina, and Naomi Osaka.

When she's not seeking unique angles to elevate tennis coverage at Sportskeeda, she loves to channel her inner astrophysics "nerd" by exploring new sci-fi series and movies. A big Lionel Messi, Lewis Hamilton, and Randy Orton fan, she is always ready to engage in sports conversations anytime, anywhere, albeit not without a cup of coffee.

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Edited by Pritha Ghosh