Roger Federer shared a hilarious incident in which a fan confused the Swiss legend for Rafael Nadal.
The two of the greatest of all time to have played the sport have shared a rivalry over their career span. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are among the world’s highest Grand Slam title winners with 20 and 22 respectively and only Novak Djokovic stands ahead of them with 24 titles.
Despite their on-court rivalries, they share a friendly bond outside the court. Last year, their friendship took Centre stage at the Laver Cup which marked Federer’s retirement from tennis. They teamed up for a doubles match against Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe. Nadal was seen crying as he got emotional to bid farewell to his Swiss friend.
In a virtual interaction, Federer was asked if he was ever mistaken for someone else and he recalled an incident from the Miami Grand Prix earlier this year. A fan requesting a photograph addressed him as ‘Mr. Nadal’. When the 20 Grand Slam winner corrected him, the fan left in embarrassment without a photo clicked.
happened the other day at the Formula 1. A guy asked "Can i have a picture with you Mr Nadal?". I told him I wasn't Mr Nadal. He apologized and left without taking a picture. 😂
— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) May 23, 2023
“Happened the other day at the Formula 1. A guy asked “Can I have a picture with you Mr. Nadal?”. I told him I wasn’t Mr. Nadal. He apologized and left without taking a picture.”
Last year in December, Federer shared another incident in an interview with Trevor Noah on ‘The Daily Show’. He mentioned that he paid a visit to the All England Lawn Tennis Club(AELTC) during one of his visits to London.
But, the security guard did not allow the eight-time Wimbledon Open champion to enter without a membership, even after he mentioned that he won the tournament eight times.
Roger Federer feels fortunate to have played against Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic
In a recent interview, Roger Federer spoke about his rivalry with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic and praised them for countless memories over the years.
The 20-time Major winner faced Nadal 40 times in which the Spaniard leads the head-to-head record 24-16 and faced Djokovic 50 times in which he trails their head-to-head record 23-27.
Federer:
— Bastien Fachan (@BastienFachan) December 9, 2023
'I was really happy and fortunate to play against them [Nadal and Djokovic] (…) and I hope that Rafa can come back very strong next year and that Novak can keep on playing as long as he wants, because to have these guys is really good for the game'
(@CGTNSportsScene) pic.twitter.com/VBPc8V47Eo
Speaking to CGTN Sports Scene, he cherished his playing days and considers himself fortunate to have had the opportunity to play against the duo. He wished Nadal a strong comeback in 2024 and hopes that Djokovic can keep on playing as long as he wants.
I was really happy and fortunate to play against them, almost 40 and 50 times each. So, I have a lot of memories from a lot of great matches and battles. I’ve answered questions about them so so many times and I can always say the best things about them.
– Roger Federer in a tweet shared by Bastien Fachan on Twitter
