Alex Corretja says it was nice to see Rafael Nadal speaking highly of Roger Federer as the Spaniard thinks Nadal and Federer pushed each other to elevate their games and become even better players. After one of his Wimbledon wins, Nadal was asked about Federer not competing at The All England Club this year.
Nadal said he was sorry to see Federer not being able to compete at Wimbledon and used the chance to describe the Swiss as his “greatest rival.” “Who doesn’t miss Roger? We’d all like to see him back playing,” Corretja said on Eurosport.
“It’s nice from Rafa to say that because he is his big rival and he has created a lot of problems for him over the years. Both have improved their games because of each other. You saw last year when Roger was stepping in with his backhand because of Rafa’s forehand.
Maybe, if he had never played against Rafa, he wouldn’t have tried. It’s been great for both of them”.
Federer was at Wimbledon on Sunday
On Sunday, Federer stepped on the grounds of The All England Club as he was one of the players that took part in the tournament’s centenary celebration.
An emotional Federer admitted it was hard for him to come to Wimbledon in a different role and expressed his hope to return to the tournament as a player in 2023. “I’ve been lucky enough to play a lot of matches here,” he said.
“It feels awkward to be here in a different type of role. This court has given me my biggest wins and my biggest losses. I hope I can come back one more time. I miss being here. I didn’t think it would take this long to come back; this year has been rough on me. I didn’t know if I should make the trip, but I’m happy to be standing here today,” Federer said.
