"I think I'm more Nadal than I am Federer" - Rory Mcllroy on drawing inspiration from tennis icons Rafael Nadal & Roger Federer

Statistically, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have the third-greatest rivalry in tennis on the men's circuit behind Nadal-Djokovic and Djokovic-Federer. The rivals-turned-friends have faced each other a total of 40 times, with the Spaniard winning on 24 occasions and the Swiss maestro taking 16 victories.

The duo locked horns for the first time 18 years ago in Miami when a 17-year-old Nadal stunned the then World No. 1 Federer in straight sets in a little over an hour. Their last match came in the 2019 Wimbledon semifinals as the Swiss prevailed in four sets. In Grand Slam meetings, the Spaniard leads the head-to-head 10-4. When asked about their greatest rival, they always name each other.

The two tennis icons have not only been inspirations for budding tennis players around the world, but also for a number of established professionals in other sports. In a recent interview with CBS Sports, Northern Ireland golfer Rory McIlroy praised Nadal for his grit and Federer for his love for the game.

"In my mind, I think I'm more Nadal than I am Federer," Mcllroy said. "But I'm not. I just don't have his grit and will. I don't think anyone does. Roger, he just loves playing tennis. I think as I've gotten into the meat of my career, my 15th or 16th year on tour, I've really worked hard on making sure I still love the game of golf, and don't just see it as a job."

"That's probably the biggest thing I've tried to take out of what Roger has done. He's had this unbelievably successful and long career, but at the end of the day, he still loves playing tennis. I think that's really, really important, and that's one of the big things I've tried to take from him," Mcllroy added.

The two players were recently seen together during a small ceremony that was organized to celebrate 100 years of the Centre Court at Wimbledon. For the third time in the last five years, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer will come together to participate in the Laver Cup this year in September.

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"Great moment! Many congrats," Rafael Nadal congratulated Novak Djokovic on winning Wimbledon

Novak Djokovic won his seventh Wimbledon title

Novak Djokovic defeated Nick Kyrgios 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(3) to become a seven-time Wimbledon champion on Sunday. The Australian was scheduled to face Rafael Nadal in the semifinals but received a walkover after the Spaniard had to withdraw from the event due to an abdominal injury. While the 27-year-old made his debut in a Major final, it was the 32nd for Djokovic, making him the player with the most Grand Slam final appearances.

The Serb posted a video on social media the following day where he can be seen celebrating with his family on Centre Court. Nadal conveyed his wishes to the 21-time Grand Slam winner, who is just one title behind the Mallorcan.

"Wow! Great moment! Enjoy it and many congrats," Nadal commented.