Rafael Nadal adds yet another iconic piece of Roger Federer memorabilia to his museum in Manacor

Rafael Nadal opened the Rafa Nadal Academy in late 2016. It has since helped develop many current and future tennis stars, including World No. 2 Casper Ruud.

The academy boasts an extensive museum that showcases memorabilia from Nadal's decorated career. It also contains historical pieces belonging to other tennis icons.

The museum recently added Roger Federer's 2019 Laver Cup racquet to its collection, which was personally signed by the Swiss legend.

The blue Wilson Pro Staff RF-97 is a special edition racquet Federer had custom-made for the 2019 Laver Cup. Alongside the racquet, the museum also has a Team Europe sweatshirt and a Nike T-shirt belonging to Nadal, signed by every member of Team Europe.

The museum is situated in Manacor, Mallorca, Nadal's hometown.

A new historical piece has been added to Rafael Nadal's museum.

This place is the Louvre of tennis! 🖼️

(📸 rafanadalmuseum) https://t.co/sgcUjfDbDY

"Our rivalry has evolved as our friendship has" - Rafael Nadal on Roger Federer

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer react after their doubles match at the 2022 Laver Cup

The rivalry between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer will go down in sporting history as one of the most iconic. The duo faced each other 40 times on the ATP tour, with Nadal leading the head-to-head 24-16.

In an interview with Tennis World USA, the Spaniard spoke about the pair's rivalry and friendship and how they evolved together.

"Our rivalry has evolved as our friendship has. When you're young you just want to win, be the best, and over the years, I think the two of us, being athletes, as we have had experiences together and have shared moments of sadness or disappointment competing with each other, and there comes a point where that we've appreciated what these matches are," said Nadal.

Nadal revealed that Federer notified him of his retirement 10 days before he informed the rest of the world.

"He told me ten days before announcing it but I didn't even know if he could play the doubles, because of the knee. We postponed the conversation a week later, and he also knew that, due to my situation, I couldn't be away from home for a long time," he added.

Fittingly, Federer played the last match of his professional career alongside Nadal at the Laver Cup.

An honor and a real pleasure @rogerfederer 🙌🏻 twitter.com/rogerfederer/s…