It was a good match, good memory even if we lost" - Rafael Nadal on doubles SF loss to Federer & Wawrinka at 2011 Indian Wells

In a recent interview with the BNP Paribas Open, Rafael Nadal recalled his epic doubles semi-final against Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka at Indian Wells in 2011. The Swiss pairing defeated Nadal and Marc Lopez in straight sets, winning 7-5, 6-3.

World No. 4 Rafael Nadal admitted that it was a "good and special memory" even though he and Lopez lost that match. He also revealed that he has enjoyed some really "friendly" moments with Federer at the Indian Wells Masters.

"Yeah, we lost this match. I think that was the semi-finals match against Roger and Stan. So, it was a good match, good memory even if we lost. I have been special to play with my friend Marc, who is now one of my coaches, play against Roger and Stan, and then we enjoyed plenty of friendly moments here on Wells, winning two times with Marc has been very very special," said Nadal.

In the same interview, Nadal also remembered his 2013 Indian Wells Masters campaign, where he defeated the likes of Roger Federer, Tomas Berdych, and Juan Martin Del Porto en route to his third title in the California desert.

Nadal stated that it was a "special" moment for him to beat Del Porto in the final since it was his first hardcourt tournament in more than a year after returning from a serious knee injury

The Spaniard also disclosed that he would have been satisfied with one or two victories at the Masters event and that winning it made him very emotional.

"13, I guess the final against Del Potro has been so special for me because it was the first tournament on hard after more than a year because I had a very important injury on my knee, so I was outside of the tour for eight months and then I came back. I played in Sourth America, played in Vina del Mar, then Sao Paulo, and then in Acapulco," mentioned Nadal.

"I played great in Acapulco but then I was not sure if I was coming here [in Indian Wells] or not because the total is only better if you don't go to play too high but I decided to come. So, I said okay, if I am able to win one or two matches, I will be happy, I just want to test my knee on the hard court but after I won the event and yeah, it was a very every emotional one," concluded the 21-time Grand Slam champion.

Rafael Nadal is 18-0 this season, faces Kyrgios in the quarterfinals

Rafael Nadal at the Indian Wells Masters 2022

Nadal defeated Reilly Opelka in the fourth round of Indian Wells on Wednesday, winning his 18th consecutive match of the 2022 tennis season. He will face Nick Kyrgios in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

With his victory over Opelka, Nadal became the second player after Novak Djokovic to win 18 straight matches at the beginning of any tennis season since 1990. The Serb managed more than 18 victories at the start of a season twice in his career, in 2011 and 2020.