Roger Federer said he will miss seeing Rafael Nadal play at this year's French Open, emphasizing that Nadal's remarkable record at the clay-court major stands as one of the most extraordinary achievements in the history of all sports.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The 14-time Roland Garros champion, Nadal, announced his withdrawal from the clay court major at the Rafa Nadal Academy last week as he is recovering from his hip injury.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The Spaniard will not play in the season's second major for the first time since his tournament debut in 2005.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Nadal played Federer at the French Open six times and won on every occasion, including four finals.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Federer conducted a question-and-answer session with his fans on Twitter, where the Swiss legend was asked about Nadal not playing in Paris this year.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
In reply to the user, the 20-time Grand Slam winner wrote: "Yes I will miss seeing him play," adding that "French Open + Rafael Nadal = one of the most incredible records in the history of all sports."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Federer also said, "I'm happy for him (Nadal) that he's giving himself the necessary time so that he can come back healthy and make a few more magical runs."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Asked about his favourite match with Nadal, the Swiss named the 2008 Roland Garros final which he lost 6-1, 6-3, 6-0.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"RG 2008. Those 4 games were awesome," Federer wrote.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Having retired last September, it has been rumoured that Federer could soon be working as a tennis commentator, but he brushed away all the speculations, saying "no plans to commentate this year".<\/p>\r\n\r\n
He also spoke about how he is enjoying it most since retiring from professional tennis.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Feeling great nowadays. What I miss most: having a spontaneous dinner out on tour with friends after a match or practice and of course the big stadiums, fans and the thrill of it all.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"There was a lot of little stuff that I didn't know was creating so much stress that just dropped away, which is really cool. Like a weight being lifted off my shoulders," he said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n