Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer open up on who inspired them during their early days: From Pete Sampras and Ronaldo Nazario to Michael Jordan

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer recently appeared on Louis Vuitton's "Core Values" campaign, where they talked about a variety of topics. One of these included the athletes they had looked up to growing up, eliciting some interesting responses from both champions.

Nadal and Federer are two of the most popular tennis players of the 21st century. While their days of ruling the top echelons of the sport are long over, their influence goes beyond mere numbers. The two legends continue to inspire thousands of budding players to this day.

That said, the Spaniard and the Swiss both also looked up to legends of the past for inspiration at one point in their respective careers. They named some of the inspirational figures from their youths while sitting on Italy's Dolomite mountains for Louis Vuitton's Core Values campaign on Saturday (May 18).

Rafael Nadal began by expressing his love for football, before naming FIFA World Cup winner Ronaldo Nazario as a "huge inspiration". The 37-year-old also gave kudos to 14-time Major winner Pete Sampras and former World No. 1 Carlos Moya (who has been his coach since 2017).

"I am a big fan of sport in general. First of all, sport by itself is an inspiration for me. I love football, so for me, when I was a kid, Ronaldo Nazario was a huge inspiration," Rafael Nadal said. "And then I had the chance to spend some time with him."

"But as a tennis player, for me, Sampras was a good inspiration. But Carlos Moya, that is my coach today, he was right next to me and yeah, I think in some ways he helped me a lot when I arrived on the tour."

Roger Federer, meanwhile, claimed that he loved watching basketball in his early years. The 42-year-old added that NBA legends Michael Jordan and Shaquille O'Neal were a source of inspiration to him.

"I mean, I loved basketball growing up as well. So, clearly, Michael Jordan and then also actually Shaquille O'Neal, I looked up to," Roger Federer said. "I thought that's just the funnest, coolest sport out there."

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Roger Federer: "Stefan Edberg also coached me for two years, that was obviously super duper special"

Roger Federer also gave a nod to the tennis players who clearly influenced his style of play — Pete Sampras and Stefan Edberg. The 20-time Major winner added that being coached by Edberg in 2014-16 was "super duper special" to him.

"I mean, obviously tennis players, with Stefan Edberg and then also Pete Sampras, special people in my life," the Swiss maestro added. "Stefan Edberg also coached me for two years. So that was obviously super duper special."

Federer retired from pro tennis at the 2022 Laver Cup after struggles with knee injuries. Nadal, on his part, previously said that he would hang up his racquet at the end of 2024. However, the 22-time Major winner has yet to confirm whether he would bid the tennis world goodbye this year.