They laughed together, they cried together! They were fierce rivals on the court, but off the court, they were just two friends who dominated the tennis world for more than two decades. They’re Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal! Both of them always stressed that they wanted to be remembered more as a person than as a player and they built their legacy that way. But do they still remember each other despite not meeting on Tour anymore? Well, something or the other always brings back memories.

Recently Roger Federer was shooting an ad and during the shoot, a hilarious moment reminded him of Rafael Nadal, as he tried to help the other person make a proper pronunciation of an English word. “Oh God, this brings back memories. Oh no, no, no,” Federer said, “Ah! That’s easy, Gigabyte (laughs).“

Remember a similar incident that took place when Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer teamed up together for a promo shoot for a charity match for Roger Federer’s Foundation? During that shoot, all Nadal had to do was to say a simple sentence in English, but it was his Spanish accent that cracked Federer up many times. The conversation started with the Swiss asking him, “So Rafa, do you know what you are going to give me for Christmas yet?” Nadal replied, “You know what? I am gonna come to Switzerland and play an exhibition match for your Federation.” After hearing Nadal speak English in Spanish accent, Federer broke into laughter and there were multiple takes of that shot.

Later, when Nadal was asked why Federer was laughing during that commercial shoot, he said, “Well, basically the bast-rd was laughing at my English.” Reflecting on that hilarious moment, Federer said, “It was one of my favorite moments. We got it in the end, but what a joke of a thing that was.” Perhaps the recent ad shoot reminded Federer of that hilarious incident with Nadal. Well, they have shared multiple such hilarious moments in the past.

During their photoshoot as a part of Louis Vuitton’s Core Values campaign, they tried to recall the time when they first met each other in 2003. Nadal said, “I do remember, probably not him,” and then Federer asked him, “I don’t. Was I nice to you?” In reply, Nadal burst into laughter saying, “You were a little bit arrogant.” Even Roger Federer couldn’t control his laughter after hearing this from Rafa.

There was another hilarious incident involving the two in 2023 when Rafael Nadal burst into laughter along with the fans after hearing Federer’s response to his query. The Spaniard asked Federer a simple question, “Who’s been your favorite double’s partner?” In reply, the Swiss star found himself in a bit of a dilemma before saying, “I mean…I thought it was my wife until this guy showed up…Rafa can have it.” While these were some of the moments when they shared a laugh with each other, there were days when Federer and Nadal cried together too.

Did you know Roger Federer framed his crying moment with Rafael Nadal?

Martina Navratilova once said, “There is no Federer without Nadal.” Roger Federer retired from the sport in 2022, we miss him and perhaps even Rafael Nadal misses him. Seeing Nadal cry at Federer’s farewell match in 2022, Federer said, “Rafa went super emotional. I’m still trying to understand why (laughs).” During an exclusive with Louis Vuitton, the Spaniard revealed how “special” was that moment for him. Seeing his “biggest rival and a close friend” hang up his racquet made him a bit emotional.

Roger Federer now has a framed picture of himself and Rafael Nadal, crying at the 2022 Laver Cup. Speaking about it during an interview with EL PAIS, the Swiss said, “I have it at home, framed, in a space where I have some images of my career; I don’t want photos everywhere, so I have them in a specific area. And when I walk past it, it always catches my attention because it reflects our camaraderie, our friendship, and also our rivalry, all in one image.”

Federer also spoke about how Ellie Goulding’s electrifying performance gave them a flashback of their remarkable journeys in their careers. The Swiss maestro added that they felt lucky to have been able to turn their hobbies into a profession.

Two of the fiercest rivals in the tennis world holding each other hands with tears in their eyes, that was clearly an emotional moment for the fans too! What is your most memorable off-court moment featuring these two tennis greats?