"There will never be a Rafael Nadal, no one in next 100-200 years is going to win that many French Opens": Bernard Tomic

Former World No. 17 Bernard Tomic recently spoke in depth about his relationship with Rafael Nadal. The Aussie heaped rich praise on the Spaniard for his haul of 14 titles at Roland Garros, going as far as to assert that the record will stand the test of time.

Tomic was an ATP Tour mainstay for a large majority of the last decade. The 32-year-old is among the select few players who have had the chance to play doubles with Nadal at a big tournament (2016 Indian Wells Masters). Nowadays, he plies his trade on the ITF Tour and the Challengers circuit, but that doesn't mean he has forgotten about rubbing shoulders with tennis' biggest legends.

While competing at the DafaNews Bengaluru Open, an ATP Challenger event in India, Sportskeeda had an exclusive chat with Bernard Tomic about his relationship with Rafael Nadal. The Aussie has a great affinity for the 22-time Major winner by his own admission, as he insisted that no male or female player will ever come close to breaking the Spaniard's record of 14 French Open triumphs.

He also praised the 38-year-old's humble character off the court before wishing him the best in his pursuits outside tennis.

"There will never be a Rafa again, you know?" Bernard Tomic told Sportskeeda. "What he did in our sport is too good. I think no one for the next 100, 200 years is gonna win that many French Opens and this is an incredible person, so great success for him, right?"

"Yeah, I was pretty good with Rafa and we managed to play doubles once I think. We can all learn from, you know, Rafa and these tough guys, they were the champions of our sport. But he was a really humble person, not just as a player, he was a great person off the court. So, you know, I wish him the best in his continued life, and all the success he has had."

Tomic, meanwhile, exited the DafaNews Bengaluru Open in the second round to third-seeded Brandon Holt in three sets on Thursday (Feb. 27).

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Bernard Tomic on Rafael Nadal's retirement: "When you get older, it becomes tougher"

Rafael Nadal waves to the Malaga crowd after Spain's Davis Cup exit | Image Source: Getty

During the interaction with Sportskeeda, Bernard Tomic was also asked to give his thoughts on the former World No. 1's farewell at last year's Davis Cup Finals following Spain's quarterfinal loss. The Aussie was neutral about how the 22-time Major winner went out, maintaining that it had become physically difficult for the latter to prolong his career.

"Well, I mean that's him. I mean he was probably, physically, whatever, you know, when you get older, it becomes tougher," the Aussie said.

Nadal beat Tomic in all three of their encounters on the main tour, with two of those wins coming at the Australian Open (2011, 2014). Interestingly, the four-time ATP titlist won the inaugural edition of the Rafa Nadal Open, a Challenger-level event held at the Spaniard's academy in Mallorca, in 2018.