Top-ranked singles stars Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal lit up the O2 Arena in Prague on Saturday, September 23 after playing a doubles match together for the first time in their careers. The tennis legends combined for Team Europe against Team World on Day 2 of the inaugural Laver Cup and eventually ended up successful.
Federer and Nadal, who have won a combined 35 Grand Slam singles titles, outclassed Team World's doubles pair of Jack Sock and Sam Querrey 6-4, 1-6, 10-5.
I could get used to playing on the same side of the net as @RafaelNadal ?????♂️???? pic.twitter.com/BxNvbFdDrn
— Roger Federer (@rogerfederer) September 23, 2017
'We will always be rivals'
Despite the instant success after teaming up in Prague, both Federer and Nadal ruled out partnering with each other for a doubles career in future.
"I don't want to kill your expectations," Federer told Nadal after the match on Saturday.
He added: "For me, personally, it is a great moment too. We only ever practised once together, back at the World Tour Finals, so we don't show each other a lot.
"We will always be rivals. But this was something very special, it was an absolute pleasure being on the court with Rafa and seeing his decision-making process.
"I understand that people only expect a win from us, but it's very complicated, we're playing indoors against the big servers, and I hadn't played doubles for so long, I was trying to remember what to do."
Meanwhile, Nadal revealed he enjoyed the experience of sharing the same half of the court with his arch-rival.
"It was an unforgettable day, after the history behind us to be on the same part of the court fighting for the team is something we enjoyed a lot," the Spaniard said.
Nadal, Federer on fire in Prague
Both Federer and Nadal showed they were up for the fight against the American duo with a lot of energy on the court, right after the completion of their singles rubbers on Saturday.
While Federer outclassed Querrey 6-4, 6-2, Nadal was made to stretch by Sock, who went down 3-6, 6-3, 9-11 in the morning session of the day.
Notably, Nadal and Federer have shared all the Grand Slam titles between them in 2017. The two veterans, who ended their seasons early in 2016 to focus on recovery from injuries, bounced back as early as in January when they reached the final of Australian Open.
While Federer won the Australian Open, Nadal was unbeatable on the dirt as he raced to a record 10th French Open title. The former reigned supreme at Wimbledon and the latter matched his rival's tally in the ongoing season with a title at the US Open earlier this month.
