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Playing matches against Nadal on clay courts scarred me, says Federer

It’s tough to imagine Roger Federer (left) being scarred of anything on the tennis court, which he literally owns. But turns out, he is indeed scarred of one thing: Rafael Nadal.  

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It’s tough to imagine Roger Federer (left) being scarred of anything on the tennis court, which he literally owns. But turns out, he is indeed scarred of one thing: Rafael Nadal.  

“My toughest opponent would have to be Rafa. The way he plays against me makes it extremely difficult for me. I’ve played way too many clay court matches against him — that kind of scarred me, I think. He’s beaten me in the final time and time again,” Federer said at the Hopman Cup New Year’s Eve party in Perth on Saturday night.

That’s a pretty honest assessment from a man who has four more Grand Slam titles against his name than the left-handed Spaniard. Federer has had many a memorable battle with the 30-year-old Nadal, the latter having an impressive 23-11 win-loss record over the Swiss maestro. 

Their rivalry has gone on to become one of the most enthralling in tennis history, until injuries to both the players robbed fans the pleasure of watching them take on each other since October 2015.

“I hope for him to come back strong again (from injury) because I think the world of him and his game,” Federer said of Nadal. “His fighting spirit and the professionalism that he brings to the game is quite extraordinary. I really enjoy watching him. Every match that I won against him almost counted double for me.”

The 35-year-old, who is making a return to the tennis circuit after a long injury lay-off of around six months, said he will take inspiration from Nadal’s habit of making strong comebacks from injuries. 

“Now I understand a little bit when guys are injured, (and) how hard it is to come back and how much patience you have to bring to the table. It’s not easy and I admire the guys who have done it before me, like Rafa for instance. He has always come back and it seemed like nothing. Every time he came back he had success. I hope it’s going to be the same for me,” Federer said.

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