Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer recently collaborated for Louis Vuitton and as part of the collaboration, they briefly discussed their first meeting.
The first meeting of the two legends happened a very long time ago, and the Swiss Maestro didn't quite remember it. They met in the Dolomites, sitting in the snow and talking about their tennis careers, including the beginnings.
Federer was quite curious about their meeting because he wasn't sure how it went, but Nadal quickly refreshed his memory. According to the Spaniard, it happened after Federer won the 2003 Wimbledon Championships, and the Spaniard joked that he was a bit arrogant, which made Federer crack up.
When asked about the first meeting, Nadal replied: "I do remember, probably not him." The Swiss player immediately confirmed that he doesn't recall the first meeting, as the Spaniard reminded him: "When you won your first Wimbledon, which year."
Federer was immediately curious, wanting to know how he acted, as at the time, he was the more establish player, while Nadal was the youngster who was trying to break through. "2003... Was I nice to you or...."
Nadal saw a chance to make fun of his rival, who didn't remember the meeting, saying: "You were a little bit arrogant." Both started laughing, but the 37-year-old immediately clarified how the meeting really went.
"No honestly, you were super nice. I was just arriving on the tour, and a junior, so I was super shy to talk to you. But you were very nice.
Still, it was an interesting comment from the Spaniard, as Federer had a bit of a reputation early on in his career, and it wasn't the same as today.
However, many years after their first meeting it's great to see them being on very good terms because it's one of the most iconic rivalries in tennis, maybe even the most iconic.
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