Roger Federer Claims IPTL Match With Rafael Nadal 'Played With Great Spirit And Fairplay'

Tags: Roger Federer; world news; Rafael Nadal

BY Chill Bolo Dec 14, 2015 09:55 PM EST

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal remains one of tennis' great rivalries. But although they are competing against each other, the mutual respect is there which was evident after the IPTL match at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium over the weekend.

Although the IPTL is billed as an exhibition match between the two great competitors, Roger Federer said there's still a huge amount of pressure involved.

"The question is what is an exhibition?" he said during the press conference, as reported by Indian Express. "There is a kids' day exhibition in Australia Nickelodeon style, obviously where you hit and giggle with Scooby Doo, you know. This is not Scooby Doo, so clearly we are playing serious tennis."

Talking about his match with Rafael Nadal at the IPTL, Roger Federer remarked, "It's played with great spirit and fairplay. And seeing the legends ( including the likes of Goran Ivanisevic, Carlos Moya and Marat Safin) play in the team, it is phenomenal to see them."

He continued, "I would like to give them a shout out for playing so well because I think it is really hard for them to do what they are doing. Personally, I love it, so call it an exhibition or not, I don't know what it is but it is a fun concept and that's why I am back here again."

Rafael Nadal,for his part, said it's always an honor to play against Roger Federer, whether it's an exhibition game like the IPTL or the tennis Open.

"I played a few matches before but with this format everything happens so fast and every point is so important. The match was so close and it was decided in just few points," he said.

"It's always a pleasure to play Roger in any part of the world but the crowd here was unbelievable. This crowd has given us so much energy and it was so special."

Although Roger Federer is ranked higher at no. 3 to Rafael Nadal's no. 5 at the ATP rankings, the Spaniard got the Swiss' number as he won 23 of their 34 matches. The IPTL game won't be counted against their statistics, however.