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One of India's finest tennis players, Sania Mirza, has lauded all-time greats Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for their fierce rivalry and the mutual understanding and respect they have for each other. Indian shuttler PV Sindhu also called their rivalry as the 'greatest' not just in tennis, but inspirational for athletes across sports.
Both Sania Mirza and PV Sindhu spoke about this epic rivalry in the documentary 'Strokes of Genius', which is currently streaming on Discovery Plus. Sania Mirza, having played with both Federer and Nadal in the past in the International Premier Tennis League (IPTL), praised the nature of this epic rivalry.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's off-court moments make them very special: Sania Mirza
The 6-time doubles champion Sania Mirza has shared the court with Roger Federer for the Indian Aces at the IPTL in 2014, while she played with Rafael Nadal the following year. Sania Mirza said:
"The way they talk about each other on and off the camera is pretty incredible, and I’ve seen that being a part of IPTL where I was on Rafa’s team and I was on the same team as Roger in the following or the year before that. They speak so highly of each other."
Sania Mirza pointed out how both Federer and Nadal have mutual understanding on and off the court following the incredible matches they have had over the years.
"On the courts, of course, everybody knows that they’ve had some incredible matches and have some incredible history, but I think off the court are the moments that make them very special. The respect they have for each other and when they play, you can see that there is so much respect and mutual admiration for each other as well. They bring so much to the game and such different things that our sport really needs both of them," Sania Mirza said.
Federer-Nadal rivalry greatest across sports: PV Sindhu
Meanwhile, the Indian badminton superstar PV Sindhu, who has been preparing for the upcoming Badminton Asia Tour in January 2021, got quizzed regarding her choice between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. She depicted that both of the tennis greats are legends on their own and have inspired athletes like herself.
"I believe both Roger and Rafael are legends in their own way and definitely love to see both of them play. I can’t just choose one from both but I think each of them has a different style of play and different game so I would say, both are legends," Sindhu said.
"I think it’s the greatest rivalry not only in tennis but also globally because they are true champions and they have always inspired us in many ways and I would say it is always a treat for us to watch them play."
The Olympic silver medalist also recalled how she closely looked at Nadal's win over the then No. 1 Federer in the Miami Masters 2004. She stated that it came as an aspiration to her, which helped her in defeating Li Xuerui in the quarter-finals of China Masters in 2012. It was the biggest turning point of Sindhu's career as the latter was the Olympic champion at that point.
"I was really young then in 2004 in Miami when Nadal won against the then no 1 Federer. When I saw that it inspired me a lot in 2004 when Nadal won against the then world no 1. So, the closest of that for me would be when I won against the Olympic champion Li Xuerui in China Masters in 2012. So yeah, that was the closest for me," she said.
