I'll send my kids to Nadal's tennis academy, says Roger Federer

10/20/2016

Tennis legend Roger Federer has claimed that he would send his children to Nadal's academy should they decide to take up tennis as a sport. Nadal had invited Federer to the launch of his tennis academy in his home town of Manacor and the Swiss was in no mood to refuse.

The Federer-Nadal rivalry is arguably the biggest rivalry in tennis, but the rivalry has always been limited to the court. Off it, both players have always spoken very highly of each other.

"I'm super happy to be here. I know where I'll send my kids if they want to learn how to play tennis," Federer said that the event.

The duo share 31 Grand Slam titles between them, but Nadal has always had the upper hand when the two legends have gone head-to-head. Nadal has won 23 of the 34 matches that the two have played, but the duo haven't played against one another for almost a year - the last meeting came in the Basel final where the Swiss came out victorious.

"It's very important for all of us to have you here. You represent the values and example for kids at our Academy,' Nadal said while speaking about Federer.

Even though the pair has dropped out of the top four for the first time after 13 years, their popularity is still as high as ever.

30-year-old Nadal is sixth in the rankings after a number of injuries in the last few years have halted his progress, while Federer, who has not played a single event since Wimbledon, will not feature in the top-10 for the first time since 2002 when the new rankings come out.

The Swiss hopes to return to the court for the Hopman Cup in Perth in January next year, while Nadal is still hopeful of making the end-of-season ATP World Tour Finals.

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