Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal spent years battling it out at the top of tennis, forming one of the great rivalries. With 42 Grand Slam titles between them, they remain two of the most successful players in history. And they could now take their fierce competition into another sport.
Nadal is a scratch golfer and has won several amateur tournaments, and the Swiss star now looks set to challenge him. Federer has already been out on the course with current world No. 40 Alexandre Muller, who said he “wants to beat Rafa”.
Federer retired from professional tennis more than two years ago and recently admitted that he missed the sport. While he currently has no plans to get back into training, the 43-year-old has been trying his hand at golf instead.
He had an unlikely reunion with one of his old colleagues, Muller, on the fairways in Dubai at the end of last year – and the French tennis star was impressed.
“He had a tee time 10 minutes before mine, so I was behind him for nine or 10 holes,” the world No. 40 told the ATP.
“For the last few holes, I was with him, because the guy in front of him was a bit slow, so every time at the beginning of the hole I was with him, and we were talking a little bit. It was cool.”
Muller now believes Federer could revive his rivalry with Nadal on the golf course. He joked: “We were talking about golf. He was playing great.
“He is practising a lot, I think he wants to beat Rafa!”
Federer has also been enjoying golf as a spectator. He went to The Masters last week and compared the tournament to Wimbledon.
“This atmosphere definitely compares to the Wimbledon atmosphere. Very calm, with sudden bursts of clapping on great shots, very similar to Wimbledon,” the 20-time Major winner told TNT Sports.
While the former world No. 1 has been getting into golf, he’s still missing tennis and revealed that he had barely been on the court since ending his career at the 2022 Laver Cup.
Federer added: “I would love to play some tennis again. I’d like to start playing two or three times a week and hopefully be back on the exhibition courts. Hopefully I can fill a couple of stadiums around the world.
“I don’t have any plans at the moment, but I know I need to train for it. I miss it a little, honestly, because I haven’t played much since I retired.”
Content Source: www.express.co.uk