"In the beginning, Rafael Nadal was a young player coming up; it was different" - When Roger Federer downplayed 'special' factor of their 37th meeting

Roger Federer once made an honest admission about his feelings with facing Rafael Nadal in their 37th encounter in the 2017 Miami Open final.

Following his triumph in Indian Wells that year, Federer entered the Masters 1000 event in Miami as the fourth seed. He beat the likes of Frances Tiafoe, Juan Martin del Potro and Nick Kyrgios to set up a blockbuster title clash against Rafael Nadal.

The Swiss was clinical in the final, claiming a 6-3, 6-4 win over Nadal to complete the coveted Sunshine Double for the third time in his illustrious career.

Following his win, Roger Federer fielded a question regarding the significance of facing Rafael Nadal for the 37th time, being asked whether each encounter carried the same 'special' feeling and how that sentiment had evolved over the years.

However, the Swiss pointed out that it was unrealistic for the matchup to evoke the same feelings every time, saying that the emotional intensity kept fluctuating, even against Nadal.

"No, it's like when you go to work. You don't feel the same every day. Doesn't matter if Rafa is in the office or not. Just some days you feel flatter than others. Doesn't matter, though," Federer said in his post-match press conference.

"You might still put in a great performance. But you just can't get up the same way emotionally every single time," he added.

Federer also suggested that the dynamics of their rivalry was different when the Spaniard was younger and rising through the ranks.

He added that the emotional response wasn't solely tied to facing Nadal but also to the inherent excitement and adrenaline associated with competing in prestigious finals in Grand Slam events, Masters 1000 tournaments and the ATP Finals.

"In the beginning, look, he was a young player coming up. It was different back then. I think then any Grand Slam final or Masters 1000 final you play against each other, the World Tour Finals, that's when the pulse gets going just naturally because there is a lot at stake," he said.

"Might be ranking at stake, points at stake, a rivalry at stake at this point. But then I don't know how much it's got to do with Rafa itself or the occasion of being in a finals. So then you have the combination's always the best," he added.

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Roger Federer: "Sometimes when you're feeling good, that's a great time to play Rafael Nadal; whereas at other times, your game is terrible"

Roger Federer (left) and Rafael Nadal

Roger Federer also said that his enjoyment of facing Rafael Nadal fluctuated based on his own form as well, reiterating that it wasn't possible for their matchups to elicit the same feelings consistently.

"Yeah, and then sometimes when you're feeling good, like in Indian Wells, all of a sudden you're more pumped just because you're feeling good and you're like, Okay, that's a great time to play Rafa; whereas at other times you know your game is terrible, you're not feeling it, and now it's against Rafa," he said in the same press conference.

"You're like, Okay, it's probably going to be terrible. Everybody is excited and I'm the only guy who is not excited on the other side of the net because I know what the result will be because my game is just not up to speed. Can't feel the same way every single time," he added.

Federer and Nadal faced each other 40 times on tour, with the Spaniard enjoying a 24-16 lead in their head-to-head record. Nadal also held a 14-10 winning record in tournament finals.