“He has to learn to be a gentleman” Rafael Nadal once slammed Roger Federer after he accused Uncle Toni of ‘illegally’ coaching Rafa
Follow Us
Roger Federer and Rafael Nada
The Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal rivalry is probably the biggest in tennis history. The two were fierce rivals on the court and are the bestest of friends off the court. They have played many iconic matches against each other and have seen each others’ highs and lows. This was the very reason why Federer chose Nadal to be his doubles partner in his last professional tennis match at the Laver Cup.
Federer considers Nadal as his biggest rival and the feeling is mutual from Nadal’s side too. While Nadal and Federer have the utmost respect for each other, things weren’t particularly the same during the initial phase of their rivalry. It is believed that the 2006 Rome Masters final cemented their rivalry in which Nadal defeated Federer in an 5-set epic where he had to save two match points.
In that match, Federer accused Nadal’s then coach and uncle, Toni Nadal of illegally coaching Rafa. “He was coaching a little bit too much again today,” Federer said after his loss. “Yeah, I caught him in the act.”
Nadal, who was a teenager back then, took a dig back at Federer to say that he needs to behave like a gentleman even when he loses. “He has to learn to be a gentleman even when he loses,” he said.
Also Read: WATCH: Serena Williams’ daughter hilariously plays with a tampon after mistaking it for a ‘cat toy’
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s rivalry over the years
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have played each other 40 times out of which Nadal has won 24 times. They have played multiple grand slam finals and numerous important matches throughout their career. The 2008 Wimbledon final and the 2017 Australian Open final still remain to be the most iconic ones in grand slam tennis. Their last meeting came at the 2019 Wimbledon semifinal where Federer won in 4 sets.
Stay Updated!
Lakshya Chopra
(2595 Articles Published)