"Lot of people broke a lot of rackets, one time doesn't matter"- When Rafael Nadal downplayed concerns about Roger Federer after Swiss' Miami meltdown

Back in 2009, Rafael Nadal dismissed concerns about his arch-rival Roger Federer following the Swiss' meltdown during the Miami Open.

Nadal and Federer both played in the ATP Masters 1000 tournament that year. The Spaniard lost in the quarterfinals to Juan Martin del Potro, while the Swiss was knocked out by Novak Djokovic in the semifinals.

During Federer's clash with Djokovic, the 20-time Grand Slam champion broke his racquet in frustration after wastefully firing the ball into the net during a rally in the final set. The incident was quite surprising, considering he had recently won the Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award.

Many were asked to share their thoughts on the controversy, including Federer's arch-rival Rafael Nadal. During the Monte-Carlo Masters a few days later, the Spaniard told the press that it wasn't a significant issue, pointing out that many tennis players break racquets often.

"I think doesn't matter if he break a racquet in Miami," Nadal said. "I think everybody talks about this. But in the end is only a thing, small thing. A lot of people broke a lot of racquets on the tennis court, no? So one time doesn't matter."

The 14-time French Open champion dismissed concerns about Federer's form, claiming that the Swiss would begin the claycourt season with great confidence.

"I am sure he's confident to start another year the clay court season and I think he start the season very well. The only thing is he didn't win a title, but the results are very good," Nadal said.

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A look into Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's Grand Slam wins

The legendary duo pictured at the 2022 Laver Cup 2022

Roger Federer won 20 Grand Slam singles titles, while Rafael Nadal has 22 Majors under his belt. The Swiss retired from tennis in 2022, but the latter is still active.

Federer was most dominant on grass courts, winning eight Wimbledon titles (in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012, and 2017), second only to Martina Navratilova, who won nine.

Besides that, the 42-year-old Federer has six Australian Open titles (in 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2017, and 2018), along with five consecutive victories at the US Open from 2004 to 2008, and one French Open (2009).

Meanwhile, Nadal is dubbed the 'King of Clay' because of his incredible dominance on claycourts. He has won a whopping 14 French Open titles, which is the most any player has ever won at a single Major tournament.

The Spaniard's other Grand Slams include four US Open (2010, 2013, 2017, and 2019), two Wimbledon (2008 and 2010), and two Australian Open titles ( 2009 and 2022).