Roger Federer: ‘Rafa Nadal and I can be very proud of having great careers’

Roger Federer is happy to share his era with Rafael Nadal. The Swiss cannot imagine what he would have won more had the Spaniard had not been around. 

“I think everyone had good rivals along the way,” Federer said. “(Ivan) Lendl, (Boris) Becker, (Pete) Sampras, (Stefan) Edberg, and (Rod) Laver… all had great rivals and if I was not, it would have been someone else who would have been there for Nadal. That’s why… we both can be very proud of having great careers in tandem. It is very unique.”

Asked how he managed to travel with his wife and children, Federer added, “People like to talk about what I do and how I do it. But without the support team and without family, without coaching team, this would not be possible.

“There is just too much going on in terms of organization, preparation, planning and everything. We do our best and I can also set priorities very well so that I can help with this process.” 

Federer believes his childhood education was very important in defining his character and mentality. The World No. 3 is grateful to his mother Lynette and father Robert: “My parents always gave me advice on how to behave, how to be grateful and educated, and it helped me, especially in tennis, where they always wanted me to put in efforts and play a fair game.”