"When I started, you won €6,000 if you were eliminated in 1st round, but now it's €60,000 thanks to Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer" - Tommy Robredo

Tommy Robredo lavished praise on Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in a recent interview, crediting them with increasing the popularity of tennis. The Spaniard pointed out how the prize money in tournaments has dramatically increased over the years and said it was mainly due to Nadal and Federer's unprecedented popularity with fans and sponsors.

Robredo announced that he will finally be hanging up his racquet at this year's Barcelona Open, 24 years after making his debut on the ATP tour. Speaking to Spanish daily newspaper Diario AS on the occasion of his impending retirement, the 39-year-old remarked that he had no regrets whatsoever about his career.

The World No. 343 jokingly added that he would have won a few more matches if not for Nadal. But in the grand scheme of things, Robredo was willing to let it slide since what the 21-time Grand Slam champion did for the game was far more important.

"When I started, you won €6,000 if you were eliminated in the first round of a Grand Slam. Now, it's €60,000 thanks to [Rafael] Nadal and [Roger] Federer," Robredo said. "Without [Rafa], perhaps I would have won a few more games, but that is only a matter of sport. I am calm because I gave that one hundred percent, and that is the important thing."

The former World No. 5 made it very clear that he did not think his career would have been much more successful in the Mallorcan's absence. Instead, Robredo credited the World No. 3 for sparking more interest in the sport in his home country -- which was, by extension, beneficial for his own career as well.

"No, [my career has not been harmed by coinciding with Rafa's]. It's all been for the best. That means that in Spain there is more talk about tennis [thanks to him]," Robredo said. "Thanks to him, there are more tournaments and sponsors that come to Spain. Everything goes up [because of him]."

Tommy Robredo will end his career without a win against Rafael Nadal

Rafael Nadal has won all seven meetings with Tommy Robredo

It is true that Tommy Robredo would have won more matches in his career if not for Rafael Nadal. The 39-year-old did not manage to beat the younger Spaniard in seven attempts.

Interestingly, all seven meetings between the pair came when both players were seeded. The closest Robredo ever came to defeating the 21-time Grand Slam champion was at the 2009 Paris Masters, where he took a set off the Mallorcan in the fourth round.

The former World No. 1 won in straight sets in the six remaining encounters, even bageling the former World No. 5 twice (2006 Barcelona Open and 2013 US Open). The Barcelona Open clash marked the only time the duo met in a final, with Nadal winning his 15th ATP tour title and denying Robredo his third.

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