Billie Jean King believes fans are lucky to see the greatness of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal thriving in tennis instead of soccer.
King, an American former world No. 1 who won 12 Grand Slam singles titles, heaped praises to Federer and Nadal's contribution to the sport of tennis. The 72-year-old King, who won the singles titles at the inaugural WTA Tour Championships in 1973, said she cannot imagine the Swiss Maestro and King of Clay competing on soccer fields instead of tennis courts.
''We're lucky to have him - he and Nadal went to tennis and not soccer,'' King said, reports Tennis. ''Can you imagine if they both had decided to play soccer?''
Growing up on European countries, it is no surprise Federer and Nadal also have the love of playing soccer. Federer has always been known as an avid fan of the sport, especially his hometown club FC Basel, who are playing in the Swiss Super League. Nadal, on the other hand, is also fond of playing soccer, having been influenced by his uncle Miguel Angel Nadal, a retired soccer player who starred in three World Cups for Spain.
Both were considered promising at playing soccer, but ended up choosing tennis over the most popular sport in the world, and eventually sparking one of the most colorful rivals in the history of tennis.
Federer and Nadal started their rivalry back in 2004 at the ATP Masters Series Miami, where a 17-year-old Nadal ranked as No. 34 in the world defeated the then No. 1 Federer in straight sets. The Swiss bounced back the following year at the same tournament beating the Spaniard in a classic five-setter.
But Nadal has gotten the better of Federer most of the times since winning the French Open in 2005. In their head-to-head career singles matchup, Nadal leads Federer by 23-11, wherein most of the Mallorcan's victory came on clay-courts. Their most recent meeting was at the ATP Swiss Indoors in Basel, where Federer prevailed on a title-clinching effort.
Due to injuries and setbacks this year, fans failed to see Federer and Nadal go at each other this season, and will have to wait until next year before witnessing them together again, with the Swiss deciding to skip the remainder of the year. But if there would be another chance people get to see Federer and Nadal in action again, it is something worth the wait.