Tennis: Roger Federer And Rafael Nadal’s Rivalry And It’s Additional Dynamic

Roger Federer has achieved 20 Grand Slams throughout his career. That number alone solidifies himself as one of the best to ever step on the court. The manner he rose from the early 2000s and dominated every tournament he was a part adds to the argument that he’s tennis’ GOAT.

There are currently only two other active players who come close to the argument and those are Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. While Djokovic is the younger one and has more years to take advantage of, Nadal is already one Major away from tying the Swiss legend.

Out of the Spaniard’s 19 Grand Slams, 12 of those came from the French Open – thus earning him the moniker King of Clay. If Federer is praised for his finesse coupled with an all-around game, Nadal is known for his sheer athleticism and strength.

The two have had one of the greatest rivalries in the sport. Federer has the advantage over Nadal in terms of total career titles. Federer has 103 while Nadal only has 85. But when it comes to a head-to-head matchup, the edge goes in favor of Nadal. They have faced off in a ranked match for a total of 40 times throughout their careers. Nadal has the upper hand over Federer with 24 wins while the Swiss legend only has 16.

Despite this rivalry, there’s another dynamic to their relationship. The two are actually very close friends and have done more for the communities across the world other than entertain. The two were together a few weeks ago in the initiative of the Roger Federer Foundation in Africa.

Per CBS46 by way of Tennis World USA, Nadal opened up that the two have a special sense of companionship. “We are having very long careers and facing each other in the most important tournaments for such a long time. At the same time, I think we create positive things for charity, especially events like we did in Cape Town, South Africa a few weeks ago. It is a rivalry of course but at the same time it is a friendship”.