Roger Federer considers Rafael Nadal as the most inspiring and influential tennis player, admitting that if it weren't for the Spaniard's game, he would not be the Swiss Maestro that he is today.
Roger Federer heaps praises on career rival Rafael Nadal during his the Swiss' visit in Mallorca to join the Spaniard in celebrating the official opening of the Rafael Nadal Academy. Federer, a 17-time Grand Slam winner, admitted it was Nadal who forced him to reinvent his game and be the all-time great that he is today.
"I've been around the game 17 years. I've seen a lot of hard workers and inspiring players, but you've been the one in my opinion who has been the most inspiring and most influential and made me the player I am today," Federer said, reports the ATP's official website.
"Because you're left-handed, because of your spin, because of the intensity you bring to the court, I had to re-invent and re-work my game entirely. And that's because of the person you are and how much you've trained."
Federer and Nadal have formed one of the most intense rivalries in tennis history. The two have battled each other on several occasions, but injuries and setbacks have prevented them to meet in a tennis match this year.
Federer skipped the remainder season after hurting his surgically-repaired knee at Wimbledon, while a left wrist injury robbed Nadal a chance to get back on winning track this year. Both players are also out of the world's top four for the first time in more than a decade, signifying an end of a dominant reign in the ATP world rankings.
But despite all the setbacks, Nadal is still confident he and Federer can compete at a high level in the foreseeable future.
"Roger and I haven't forgotten how to play tennis and we are working to get back to competing at the highest level," Nadal said, reports The Times of India.
"Sometimes continuing to play is not the solution. Sometimes the solution is to stop and restart a training programme."
Nadal will follow Federer's decision to sit out the remainder of the year to recuperate from the wrist injury that halted his impressive run at the French Open earlier this year. Nadal, who was initially scheduled to play at the Swiss Indoors in Basel and BNP Paribas Open, said he is forced to stop playing tennis this season to prepare for his bid in 2017.
"It is no secret that I arrived to the Olympic Games short of preparation and not fully recovered, but the goal was to compete and win a medal for Spain," Nadal said. "This forced recovery has caused me pain since then and now I am forced to stop and start preparing the 2017 season."