Ex-Grand Slam champion shares thoughts on Rafael Nadal-Roger Federer friendship

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• Rafael Nadal

Former six-time Grand Slam doubles champion Rennae Stubbs feels Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer are quite similar as she noted that both Nadal and Federer are great athletes and good people. "I think that Roger and Rafa will be synonymous together and and as they should be, because both of them are just genuinely good, good fellows and incredible athletes," Stubbs said on the Off The Ball podcast, per Sportskeeda.

After Federer announced his plans to retire from tennis after the Laver Cup, Nadal paid a tribute to the Swiss with a lengthy Instagram message. Nadal and Federer have always had a great level of respect for each other and Stubbs feels their friendship is definitely real.

"I think it was because they genuinely liked each other as people, I think that they had a genuine, genuine respect and liked one another as people. They were genuinely good friends. And I think the level of respect they have for one another showed on the court," Stubbsadded.

Stubbs: Nadal, Federer have a real friendship

There is no animosity between Nadal, Federer and Djokovic. But it's a well-known thing that Nadal and Federer have a better relationship with each other then they have with Djokovic.

"You know, I don't think that Rafa and Novak have that kind of friendship," Stubbs said. "There's no question that Roger and Novak don't have that kind of friendship. But Roger and Rafa are absolute friends. And they mean it when they say, I want to congratulate you or well done.

It is an actual friendship between the two of them. I think that they don't, you know, mark each other by what each other have done. They understand that they've elevated each other, much like Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova.

I think that they both also realize that they brought out the best in one another and they are, still to this day, very good friends." Nadal is also set to compete at the Laver Cup, which will be marked by Federer's retirement.