Roger Federer once shed light on his admiration for arch-rival Rafael Nadal, hailing the Spaniard as a “great champion.”

Federer and Nadal established one of the greatest rivalries in tennis history, locking horns 40 times, with the Spaniard winning 24 of them. Beyond their fierce on-court competition, their camaraderie and mutual respect off the court captivated the tennis community.

During the 2013 Indian Wells Masters, defending champion and second seed Roger Federer kicked off his campaign with a dominant 6-2, 6-3 win over Denis Istomin. Rafael Nadal, meanwhile, geared up to continue his comeback journey after a knee injury had forced an early end to his 2012 season.

Following his first-round win, the Swiss said that despite Nadal’s extended seven-month layoff, he expected the Spaniard to triumph in his tournament opener at the Masters 1000 event, as he expects Nadal to win 99 percent of the matches he plays.

“Probably will not watch because I will (be) doing other things. I expect him to win. When I see the name of Nadal, I think of him as the great champion he is, and I expect him to win 99% of the matches he plays,” he said in his post-match press conference.

He also admitted to being shocked whenever Nadal suffered early exits, adding that the Spaniard would be “tough to beat” in Indian Wells despite his lack of match practice.

“So whenever he loses early, before a semifinals, it’s a huge shock, and I think that’s how everybody sort of sees a match like this. We all know the danger of the first round and all those things.

“Him not having played, for me, doesn’t make any difference, really. I still expect him to be really difficult and tough to beat here,” he added.