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GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – SEPTEMBER 18: Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal of Team Europe react as they are presented to the crowd at Palais Eynard during the official welcome ceremony prior to the Laver Cup 2019 at Palexpo, on September 18, 2019 in Geneva, Switzerland. The Laver Cup will see six players from the rest of the World competing against their counterparts from Europe. Team World is captained by John McEnroe and Team Europe is captained by Bjorn Borg. The tournament runs from September 20-22. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images for Laver Cup)
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GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – SEPTEMBER 18: Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal of Team Europe react as they are presented to the crowd at Palais Eynard during the official welcome ceremony prior to the Laver Cup 2019 at Palexpo, on September 18, 2019 in Geneva, Switzerland. The Laver Cup will see six players from the rest of the World competing against their counterparts from Europe. Team World is captained by John McEnroe and Team Europe is captained by Bjorn Borg. The tournament runs from September 20-22. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images for Laver Cup)
After winning the Australian Open on Sunday, Rafael Nadal became the first man to win 21 Grand Slam titles in history. The Spaniard surpassed Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, who are still on 20 Grand Slam titles each. Many fellow tennis stars congratulated Rafa on achieving this milestone.
Rafa’s long-time rival and great friend, Roger Federer, also wished the 21-time Grand Slam winner in his own way. After the Grand Slam win, Roger posted a story on Instagram congratulating Rafa for an incredible comeback win against Daniil Medvedev. Recently, Rafa responded to Roger’s message in an interview.
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GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – SEPTEMBER 18: Roger Federer of Team Europe and teammate Rafael Nadal react as they sit down during a practice session ahead of the Laver Cup 2019 at Palexpo, on September 18, 2019 in Geneva, Switzerland. (The Laver Cup consists of six players from the rest of the World competing against their counterparts from Europe. John McEnroe will captain the Rest of the World team and Europe will be captained by Bjorn Borg) The event runs from 20-22 Sept. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for Laver Cup)
Rafael Nadal responds to Roger Federer
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After going 2-sets down, Rafa’s phenomenal comeback against Daniil Medvedev will always be in the history books. Many would have given up, but Rafa did not. Roger praised that aspect of Rafa, as the Swiss Maestro said, “Your incredible work ethic, dedication and fighting spirit are an inspiration to me and countless others around the world.”
From one legend to another 🤜🤛
Roger Federer shares his congratulations for Rafael Nadal. pic.twitter.com/x3bMphh2Sa
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) January 30, 2022
When asked about this, Rafa said, “I think we’ve always respected each other greatly. We’ve achieved a lot of positive things. So beyond who gets more Grand Slams or who’s the best or not, we’ve achieved something more important, handling a sports rivalry in a healthy way, positive, I think life is better when you live these things in the right way.”
On his rivalry with Federer. Respected each other, built a friendship, remained competitive.
“I think life is better when you live these things the right way.”
— Peter Gudritz (@petergudritz) February 1, 2022
What does the future hold for the Big 3?
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, both are younger than Roger Federer. Roger is 40 years old and Rafa and Novak are 35 and 34, respectively. In that case, Rafa and Novak definitely have an edge over Roger in terms of who will win most Grand Slam titles.
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Watch This Story: Roger Federer’s food to daily routine, everything you need to know
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Novak Djokovic of Serbia, Rafael Nadal of Spain and Roger Federer of Switzerlan wait to go on stage during the ATP Heritage Celebration at The Waldorf=Astoria on in New York City. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
At the same time, we should not forget about the Nextgen players like Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev, and many more. They are gradually making their way into the top to challenge the Big three for Grand Slam titles.
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Can the Nextgen stop the Big Three in Grand Slam tournaments? Let us know in the comments.
Read More: ‘I’ve Got Too Many Children’- Roger Federer Details How He Watched Rafael Nadal’s Match
