Roger Federer reveals how conversations with “very shy” Rafa Nadal changed

During UNIQLO’s Around The World Event in New York City on Wednesday, Roger Federer narrated how his conversations with Rafael Nadal evolved throughout the years.”So when I came on tour I saw young junior Rafa come through.

It was extremely good very young. He was incredibly respectful and also very shy. He had unbelievable respect for me, not that he doesn’t have it anymore. It’s just different because we’re friendly,” Federer said. “Then I saw Rafa grow his personality, he got more confident, he obviously had his own ideas, and we started playing each other every other weekend.

We always got along well, not just the two of us but also our teams, so my parents, his parents, my coaches, his coaches, his sister, my sister. The whole surrounding were very respectful. As we got older and we knew time is ticking and we’re about to maybe not see each other so often, I had family, which changes someone completely anyway.

We started to talk about other things in life, like injuries, about kids, he’s also a father now, so the conversations changed and in the process we also respected the rivalry we’ve used to have. He’s great and I wish he could come back one more time and really show the tennis world and the tennis fans how good he is,” Federer continued.

Roger discussed how the next generation deserves patience with expectations, particularly in comparisons with the Big Three pic.twitter.com/Xu9e2KwIHa

— The Big Three (@Big3Tennis) August 3, 2023

Federer told kids in New York why he struggled with Nadal
Roger Federer told the kids involved in the Uniqlo event in New York that Rafael Nadal was the player that put him the most problems on court.

“I struggled against Rafa the most. Yeah, just because of his topspin and lefty, you know,” Federer told a girl.

Roger Federer spent some time coaching young kids in New York

“Who was the person you struggled against the most?

Roger: “I struggled against Rafa the most. Yeah, just bc of his topspin and lefty, you know. Do you like playing against lefties?”

“No.”

Roger: “There you go” ???? pic.twitter.com/HFukQbqEc7

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 1, 2023