"I don’t care about Federer... I would have loved to be Nadal's father" - When legendary singer Julio Iglesias joked about relationship with Spaniard
Legendary singer Julio Iglesias once praised Rafael Nadal, stating that he didn't care about Roger Federer. He even said he wished he could be the Spaniard's father.
In December 2011, Nadal presented an award to Iglesias for being the best-selling Spanish recording artist of all time, domestically and internationally. Iglesias spent the last day of his "public life" in Madrid, accepting the prize for this double achievement from his record label.
Iglesias has always been vocal about his admiration for Nadal, evident during a 2013 interview with L'Equipe. He openly chose his countryman over his arch-rival Federer and showered Nadal with praise.
"I don’t care about Federer (laughs). Well, he’s a great player but when he plays against my son (laughs), I can’t prefer him," the Spanish singer cum former footballer said.
"I would have loved to be his [Nadal's] father although, to feel young again (he’s 70 years old), I would have preferred to be his brother. Mind you, I do have great sons!" he added.
"I can see a passion in Rafael Nadal that resembles me" - Julio Iglesias
In the same interview, Julio Iglesias shared insights into his connection with Rafael Nadal. The renowned singer disclosed that he had established a good relationship with Nadal's uncles, Toni and Miguel Angel and first met the tennis star when he was around 17 years old.
"First, I was on friendly terms with his uncles, especially the one who played for the national team [Miguel Angel]. Rafa must have been 17 years old. I adore Rafa. It’s so nice because he’s at an age when, normally, they’re not interested in what I sing. But, that’s not the most important thing in our friendship," Iglesias said.
Iglesias then expressed that the 22-Grand Slam champion's "fire" for his job mirrors his own passion for his career, which helped the duo build a "strong friendship."
"What draws us to each other is the fire for our job," Iglesias said. "I can see a passion in him that resembles mine. He wants to do every match well, just like I want to do every concert well. He doesn’t want to fail a point, just like I don’t want to fail a song."
He continued:
"We have forged a very strong friendship. We phone each other or we send text messages all the time. I watch almost every match on tv. Each time, I talk to him and we always end up talking about that passion."