French Open: 'I Hope 20 Is Just Another Step,' Says Federer After Nadal Equals His Record

Roger Federer hailed his "greatest rival" Rafael Nadal after the Spaniard clinched his 20th Grand Slam victory by winning the French Open 2020 Sunday.

Nadal thrashed World No. 1 Novak Djokovic 6-0 6-2 7-5 to claim his 13th Roland Garros title. After the win in Paris, Nadal has equaled Federer’s record of most Grand Slam titles in the Open Era among the ATP players – 20, while Djokovic remained with 17 major titles to his name. Overall, among ATP and WTA players, the Australian great Margaret Court leads the record with 24 singles Grand Slam victories, ahead of Serena Williams (23), and German icon Steffi Graff (22).

“I have always had the utmost respect for my friend Rafa as a person and as a champion. As my greatest rival over many years, I believe we have pushed each other to become better players. Therefore, it is a true honor for me to congratulate him on his 20th Grand Slam victory,” Federer wrote in a touching social media post after Nadal bagged his fourth consecutive French Open title.

The Swiss maestro, who has won the Wimbledon eight times and Australian Open six times, also said that it is amazing that Nadal has now won the French Open an incredible 13 times, which is one of the greatest achievements in sport. Federer also mentioned that he hopes both he and Nadal continue to play and taste success beyond the 20 Grand Slam titles.

“I also congratulate his team, because nobody can do this alone. I hope 20 is just another step on the continuing journey for both of us. Well done, Rafa. You deserve it,” Federer added.

At a post-match press conference, Nadal thanked Federer and said their relationship "means a lot."

"As everybody knows, we have a very, very good relationship and we respect each other a lot and at the same time, I think he is happy when I am winning and I'm happy when he is doing things well. In some ways it means a lot, the positive relationship we have together because we have been going through a great rivalry for a very, very long time,” added World No. 2 Nadal.