Rafa Nadal reveals the advice he gave Roger Federer to help him beat Nick Kyrgios in Laver Cup
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Updated 25/09/2017 at 08:21 GMT
Rafa Nadal has revealed the advice he gave to rival, and now Laver Cup team-mate, Roger Federer as the weekend’s events reached a thrilling conclusion in a match between the Swiss great and Nick Kyrgios.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal of team Europe react during the match
Image credit: Reuters
Federer dropped the first set against the Australian and if he had lost to the young pretender then Team World would have forced a deciding doubles match against Team Europe.
But in the new competition, in-game coaching is permitted and tennis fans were treated to a new spectacle as Nadal went to have a chat with the man with whom he has shared 35 Grand Slam titles.
Federer duly turned things around to deliver victory for his team in the inaugural tournament.
“Just to be a bit more aggressive,” Nadal told Sky Sports when asked what he said to Federer. “He is playing great, and controlling the points from the base line.
“But we thought that he could be a bit more aggressive on the forehand and Roger agreed.”
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Roger Federer of Team Europe celebrates with Rafael Nadal and Bjorn Borg of Team Europe
Image credit: Getty Images
Nadal and Federer have forged one of sport’s most enduring and gripping rivalries with their battles on the Grand Slam stage but on Saturday night, tennis fans saw the two greats unite for a doubles match for the first time.
Footage showed the two discussing their tactics prior to beating beat Americans Sam Querrey and Jack Sock 6-4 1-6 10-5.
And they shared some emotional moments on the sidelines too as Team Europe resisted a stirring comeback from the rest of the world.
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