“He’d Pick Me to Be Equal With,” says Rafael Nadal after equaling Roger Federer’s Grandslam tally


“He’d Pick Me to Be Equal With,” says Rafael Nadal after equaling Roger Federer’s Grandslam tally

Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer share the record for most Grandslam titles

Rafael Nadal, won his 13th French Open title last month and equaled Roger Federer’s tally of 20 Grandslams. The Spaniard is currently gearing up to claim his maiden ATP Finals title in London, where he is drawn in the round-robin stage alongside Andrey Rublev, Dominic Thiem and Stefanos Tsitsipas.

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Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, have immense mutual respect for each other. The duo have given us some memorable matches over the years and it is only fair that they share the record for most Grandslams. In a recent interview with BBC, Rafael Nadal claimed that Federer would choose him to equal his Grandslam tally of 20.

The Spaniard said, “I think he’d pick me to be equal with.” Nadal also went ahead and spoke about his retirement plans during the interview.

Roger Federer’s special message to Rafael Nadal

Nadal and Federer have immense respect for each other

After Rafael Nadal defeated Novak Djokovic in the finals of the French Open 2020, to claim his 20th Grandslam title, Roger Federer shared a heartfelt message for the Spaniard on his social media accounts. The message read, “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. I hope 20 is just another step on the continuing journey for both of us. Well done, Rafa. You deserve it.”

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Rafael Nadal was asked about his retirement plans later in the interview to BBC, and the Spaniard admitted that he was not prepared for it. He said,I think you can’t prepare for that. At 24, I never expected to be where I am today.” Rafael Nadal will look forward to ending his year on a high at the Nitto ATP Finals, which commences on Sunday. In his first round robin stage encounter, he will be up against the Russian, Andrey Rublev.

Also Read: Nitto ATP Finals 2020: Daniil Medvedev elaborates on being “choked” against Rafael Nadal last year