"Knowing how important Federer was for Nadal to become an even greater tennis player, that's the generosity of tennis, seeing the opponent as an inspiration" - Gustavo Kuerten
In a recent event held by Lacoste, former World No. 1 Gustavo Kuerten took part in a press interaction, answering questions about tennis, Roger Federer's career and his rivalry with Rafael Nadal.
Kuerten, a three-time French Open champion, elaborated on the experience of being a tennis player and spoke about the "brilliance of tennis" as a sport. He stated that the Swiss' importance as a rival was paramount for Nadal to become a better player.
By extension, the former World No. 1 was of the opinion that he too would have become a far better player if he had a rival as good as Nadal during his prime playing days.
"An athlete has a series of experiences and all the experiences he goes through are valid for a lifetime. It is a cycle that ends at the same time that others appear. What I found magnificent is again the brilliance of tennis, to see the importance of the opponent as well," Kuerten said.
Knowing how important Federer was for Nadal to become an even greater tennis player. If I had faced Nadal, I would have been able to improve much more than the challenges I experienced. It is wonderful," he added, as quoted by tenisnews.
The Brazilian also spoke about the longevity of the 'Big 3,' calling them "unique" and "privileged" to be able to win 20 Majors and stay at the top of the sport for so long.
"These guys have the advantage of having extended the longevity ruler to twice their size. In the end, we look much more on the positive side, for the benefit of having received everything on top of work and dedication, but they are unique. Winning 20 Grand Slams, so many tournaments, being number one in the world endlessly… This is a feeling and a privilege for very few players," Kuerten said.
"I don't know if they are from another planet, but I feel close to Federer, to the boy I watched play in the juniors" - Gustavo Kuerten
Speaking in the same press interaction, Gustavo "Guga" Kuerten spoke about humanizing the legends and seemed to relate more to Roger Federer, having watched him play in the juniors and come up on the tour to become World No. 1.
"I don't know if they are from another planet, but I feel close to the boy Federer, to the boy I watched play in the juniors to be successful, until he reached number one in the world, maintaining an untouchable level of level of education and professionalism. This is the size of the figure he represents," Kuerten said.
Federer and Kuerten faced each other thrice in their careers, with the Brazilian leading their head-to-head 2-1. Kuerten arguably caused one of the biggest upsets of Federer's early dominant years, knocking out the newly crowned World No. 1 in the first round of the 2004 French Open.