World number two Rafael Nadal has described his contests with Roger Federer as “special” and believes his old rival is still hungry for Grand Slam titles.
Nadal has been in the form of his life since returning from a seven-month injury lay-off in February. He has won 10 titles, including major wins at the French Open and US Open. His 13th Grand Slam title in New York extended his unbeaten run on hard-court to 22.
By contrast, Federer has struggled with his form and a back problem this season. The 32-year-old reached the Australian Open semi-finals in January but that was as good as it got for the Swiss in terms of Grand Slams. This is the first year tennis betting fans had to watch him fail to reach a major final since 2002.
The 17-time Grand Slam champion appears to be on his way out but Nadal feels a player of his quality remains a contender in the odds for major tournaments. The pair have met 31 times going back to their first meeting in 2004. Nadal has won 21 of those matches, although almost half of them were on his best and Federer’s worst surface – clay. Nadal and Federer have played against each other in a record eight Grand Slam finals, with the Spaniard winning six. It is little wonder Nadal holds his rivalry with Federer in such high regard.
“They are completely different matches that you approach differently. They are special matches,” Nadal told DPA. “With Federer, I have shared and continue to share a rivalry since I started out. We have lived very beautiful moments in our careers.
“I don’t think his main goal is to return to the world number one spot. That is my feeling. His goal is to stay competitive to win tournaments that he really wants to win, more than being world number one.”
