Federer and Nadal hit the peaks to discuss their incredible rivalry, relationship and legacy
Teaming up for the Louis Vuitton Core Values campaign, the pair talk about their careers and how they would like to be remembered
Louis Vuitton
The careers of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were inextricably linked as the pair changed tennis history and then, in the latter stages, forged a friendship unusual in top-level sport.
Between them, the pair have won 42 Grand Slam titles and 195 titles worldwide, dominating – together with Novak Djokovic who now tops the list with 24 slams – the Tour for the best part of two decades. When Nadal eventually finishes his career to join Federer in retirement, they will go down in history as two of the greatest and most significant players in the game.
Now, in a special interview as part of Louis Vuitton’s Core Values campaign – set in the Italian Dolomites and photographed by the legendary photographer Annie Liebovitz – Federer and Nadal reveal what they thought of each other when they first met; what they are most proud of about their careers, what made them both great and how they would like to be remembered.
First time they met
Nadal said he remembered meeting Federer for the first time, in 2003 at Wimbledon, the year Federer won the title for the first time, his first slam victory.
“You were a little bit arrogant,” Nadal said, immediately breaking into a laugh. “No, no, come on, honestly, you’re always super nice. I was just arriving on the Tour, a junior so I was super shy to talk to you. But you were very nice.
Federer said he remembered seeing Nadal play for the first time earlier that same year in Monte-Carlo. “He was super-young, so good,” Federer said. “Of course, we were all thinking, here’s another Spaniard, another clay-courter, dirt-baller, future top tenner, maybe probably even more. He achieved everything. For me, I think the really, really special moment was when I was world No 1 and I played you in Miami (2004) and he actually beat me.
“That first match will always be very meaningful, even though I lost it. Rafa, with his playing style and his sort of attitude on court at such a young young age, was not like everybody else, you could feel that it was something special coming for sure.”
Secret to their success: GOOD TEAM AROUND THEM
Federer and Nadal came from different backgrounds but when asked what helped them to get to where they did, both said a similar thing.
“I had a very good team around me, that helps, a very good family,” Nadal said. “Since the beginning, I received probably the right values to keep growing. And I really believe that, for me, the most important thing in my career is I had the passion to keep improving all the time, always try to find new things to get better and better. I think that makes the difference between very top players and other very good ones.
“For me, personally, I will say just practice with the right attitude, with the right spirit. Listen to the people next to you. Be humble enough to keep listening to people even if you are having success. You have mistakes…but you need to learn by yourself, I think (there are) a couple of couple of things that nobody can tell you.”
Federer agreed, stressing the importance of actually taking on board the things that those people closest to him was in his development.
“Take feedback, not in a personal way,” he said. “The people that are around you, parents, coaches, and so forth, fitness, physios, they all want the best for you and they have usually the best intentions. I know sometimes it looks quite critical. And when you’re young, you don’t want to hear it because you want to hear that you’re the best and you’re going to be world No 1, but unfortunately it’s not like that. It’s a very fine line between actually being confident and believing you’re going to do it, to, I’m not very good, because everybody tells me you’re not so good, you know.”
Legacy: To be remembered as good human beings
For all their incredible success on the court, both men said they wanted to be remembered more for the way they conducted themselves on and off the court, as for their achievements, although when pushed, Federer said he rated being world No 1 his best achievement and Nadal his 14 Roland-Garros wins.
But for both, their interactions with everyone around the sport meant as much, if not more, than the trophies they collected on the way.
“What really will make me feel really proud and happiest when I leave this world (of tennis) is if the tournament directors, the people who worked on the tournament, staff, ATP, talk about who I was and who I am as a person more than as a tennis player,” Nadal said.
“We have the titles, we have the achievements and that’s what it is. I achieved more than what I ever dreamed about. For me, the legacy in terms of human being, for me, after achieving all the things that we achieved, I think, for me is the most important thing, without a doubt.”
Federer said he hoped to be remembered for a variety of things.
“I hope if I’m remembered, not only as a tennis player, but also as the person behind, what I gave to the game and what I represented to the game and less about all my Wimbledon victories or whatever, that means a lot to me,” he said. “I think if I can be remembered more also as the personality other than just the player, that’d be great. And a good role model for kids, that would make me happy too.
“And it would be nice, you know, like Rafa said, if people are happy to see us again. Not, ‘oh no, that guy again? No. Hopefully that’s the case.”
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