Roger Federer told me he was so good only because he had a great coach: Rafael Nadal's uncle Toni

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have shared one of the most fabled rivalries in the history of sport. But what truly sets them apart from the rest is, rather than the electrifying tennis they produce on the court, the immense respect they have for each other.

And that mutual affection extends to their teams too. Recently, Rafael Nadal's former coach and uncle Toni Nadal spoke fondly about a past meeting with Roger Federer, and asserted that the Swiss is someone you can always learn from.

I've always learnt from the best: Rafael Nadal's uncle on his interaction with Roger Federer

Toni Ndal (L) and Rafael Nadal at the 2016 Australian Open

Toni Nadal was participating in an educative session with young tennis fans about the importance of coaches as well as that of leadership and guidance in sport. He reminisced one particular interaction with Roger Federer, where the 20-time Slam champion attributed his success to the guidance he received as a kid.

"I've always listened to learn from the best," said Toni Nadal. "So one day I asked Federer why he was so good. He told me that he was lucky to have a great coach when he was little."

Rafael Nadal boasts a winning record of 24-16 against Roger Federer. But even though he has often described Federer as his greatest rival, he has also acknowledged that growing up he was a fan of the Swiss - and that he wished for him to win titles when he saw him play.

Thanks @rogerfederer for this message! As always top. Very much appreciated by all of us 😉👍🏻🎾 https://t.co/yR8HwmTAys

— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) June 9, 2020

A large part of Rafael Nadal's success has been credited to his uncle, who was his coach from his formative years all the way until 2017. The duo won 17 Grand Slam titles together, with many of them involving battles against Roger Federer.

Toni Nadal also drew upon his interaction with Dutch football legend Johan Cruyff to illustrate his point about good coaching in sport.

"I had the opportunity to ask Johan Cruyff the same thing, and he told me that he had always been very good, but that the key was to have a good coach who taught him a type of game with players older than him, and that when he played with those of his age, he had to apply it," he added.

😮 Toni Nadal revela qué le dijeron Federer y Cruyff para "ser tan buenos"🔝 El tío y antiguo entrenador de Rafa Nadal conversó de manera virtual con jóvenes fans, y reconoció la importancia que tiene un buen preparadorhttps://t.co/Mhwtq8Hvox

— As Más Deporte (@As_MasDeporte) August 15, 2020

Toni Nadal, who is now the head of Rafael Nadal's academy in the Spaniard's hometown of Mallorca, also asserted he couldn't imagine telling a young player that he won't make it at the professional level.

"I will never tell parents something like that. You never quite know if it will be very good or not. Being realistic is important, but having dreams is what differentiates us," concluded Rafael Nadal's uncle.