While Rafael Nadal has been subject to harsh criticism lately, no less than arguably the best player of all time gave him due praise.
Roger Federer, him with the 17 Grand Slam titles, has named Rafa as his "most intense rival" who has pushed him to become a better player, as Tennis World USA recounted.
'The most intense rivalry I have ever had was with Rafa, no doubt on that," declared Federer. "It has been an epic and incredible rivalry and it will continue to be like this because we are going to play often in the future. He made me change my game many times since he is lefty and we had never seen a player who could hit the ball with so much spin. If we see the way I played in 1999 and the way I play now, the change is brutal. Now I play with more strength, before I had such a 'soft' game. My movements, the way I hit the ball, I'm a different player due to Rafa's presence."
This declaration will definitely boost Nadal's confidence, as the Spaniard confided to NDTV that his injuries are not of the physical nature since he is in great shape. He points towards a "mental injury" as he struggles to focus.
"Sometimes I recover from injuries. This time what I had, with my not having the control of my nerves or my emotion, is like coming back from an injury, too," he told reporters.
"It's not a physical injury, but it's a mental injury. And this for me is another challenge."
"I am working hard. I've never had such a long period of time without playing at the level that I wanted," Nadal said.
"I lost the matches that I should win, close matches, third-set matches. None of these important matches, I won none of those ones. So sometimes it's like a restart," he added.
He remains positive about the future. "I believe that I am much better. I don't know what the results are going to be till the end of the season. But I really believe if I continue with the same quality of practices, the same health of my body, I really hope and I believe that I can start the next year with (more) energy and I believe another level."
It is unwise to bet against Nadal. His classic rivalry with Federer (with a staggering 31 Grand Slam titles between them) is one for the ages, but the last chapter in their saga is yet to be written. Federer stays strong and Nadal will bounce back, so the era of Novak Djokovic may have to wait a while.