Ivan Ljubicic has opened up about the relationship between Swiss
tennis star
Roger Federer and Spain’s
Rafael Nadal.
Both players are amongst the best-ever to have played the
game having won 20 or more Grand Slam titles.
Talking about the relationship between the two, Ljubicic, who was
the coach of the former world number one Federer, explained how the two became
close friends over the years.
"At first they just had a lot of respect for each other,”
he said. “Over time, they realized that they share many special moments. And
that they are on the same wavelength. It clicked. If Rafa calls Roger tomorrow
and asks him something, he will do it for him. Vice versa too. I think it's
beautiful that they have such a good relationship,."
Ljubicic went on to also talk about his experience working
with Federer, especially in 2017 when the 41-year-old went on to beat Nadal in
the final of the Australian Open in a five-set thriller with a score of 6–4,
3–6, 6–1, 3–6, 6–3.
"2017 was wonderful, everything came together,” he
said. “When he hired me, his goal was pretty simple: to win Grand Slams again.
We didn't know if that would be possible. It's one thing to believe in it, but
quite another to do it. How he beat Rafa (Nadal) in the final of the Australian
Open after falling behind with a break in the fifth set, you can't top that.
This is Mount Everest."
Federer ended his illustrious career with 20 Grand Slam
titles to his name. He was also the first to win more than 15 Grand Slams in men’s singles tennis in the Open era.
On the other hand, Nadal is the second-most successful player
in the history of men’s singles tennis, having won 22 Grand Slam titles.