French tennis figure Yannick Noah believes kids from France should learn playing tennis by looking at Rafael Nadal and not with the goal of playing like Roger Federer.
Noah, one of the highest ranking tennis players from France, has an interesting take on who French kids should learn playing tennis from. In an interview with Spanish media outlet Marca, Yannick, the last French to win Roland Garros back in 1983, admitted there is only one Federer to ever play the sport, but kids in his country should learn to play like Nadal.
"I remember the TV was black and white. Once Pierre de Coubertin had said that the most important thing was to play. In professional sport, if you want to win you need to not just play. In our country kids should look at Nadal and not with the goal of playing like Federer does. There is only one Roger. But in France, it is not like this," Yanick said via Tennis World USA.
There is no denying Federer's popularity in the world of tennis. The 17-time Grand Slam winner is considered as the most skilled player of all time, and fans have always adored his effortless game and off-court personality. But Nadal also has a fair share of fame due to the sheer effort he puts into his game. Nadal's determination to win games and his ability to always bounce back from setbacks have become factors for fans to admire him.
But it is quite understandable why Nadal has gained unwavering admiration in France. In all of Nadal's 14 Grand Slam singles titles, he won nine of them at Roland Garros, where Nadal was able to deny Federer to win the crown four times, from 2006 to 2008, and 2011.
Nadal and Federer also has one of the richest rivalry recorded in tennis history. Both players have faced each other in 34 occasions, with Nadal winning 23 of all their outings. But it has been a while since Nadal has faced Federer in a singles match.
Their last meeting was at the Swiss Indoors in Basel last year, and fans may have to wait until next year before hoping for another epic matchup between the two, with Federer skipping the remainder of the year due to a season-ending injury.
Fortunately for Nadal fans, the King of Clay is all set to finish the season strong as he is set to compete in the Asian Swing, starting at the China Open in Beijing on Oct. 3.
"I am happy," Nadal said about his preparations for the remaining tournaments in his calendar schedule. "It's a complicated tour in China with two difficult tournaments where there are very good players and where, from the first round you need to be at 100%. But I am eager to start competing, as in the middle of the season I missed two-and-a-half-months without being able to play."
Video courtesy: YouTube/George Majed Ghareeb