John McEnroe names Roger Federer 'most beautiful player' but says Rafael Nadal has 'the best quality you can ask for' in an athlete

American great John McEnroe said Roger Federer was "the most beautiful player I've ever watched play tennis", but singled out 22-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal as the hardest working player of the modern era.

'Never say never' - Nadal refuses to rule out future coaching role

Video credit: SNTV

Nadal and Federer enjoyed a long-standing competitive rivalry, with the former dominating on clay - winning 14 French Open titles - and the latter excelling on grass, with a record eight Wimbledon titles to his name.

While Federer earned countless admirers for his graceful style of play, Nadal was more often praised for his speed and tenacity.

"I was with Roger in London at the Laver Cup," McEnroe said in an interview on Spanish talk show 'La Revuelta'. "I sat next to him, we talked. He's the best, the classiest guy you could meet. He's the most beautiful player I've ever watched play tennis.

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"Rafa Nadal is the best effort player I've ever seen; I've never seen a person try as hard as he did every single point. That's the best quality you can ask for in an athlete."

Nadal's emergence in the early 2000s came during a relatively barren period for Spanish tennis, but Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Jodar have since followed in his footsteps.

"Nadal changed everything," McEnroe said when asked about the health of the Spanish game. "Carlos Moya won one [Grand Slam, the French Open in 1998], but Rafa Nadal came on and changed Spanish tennis.

"I didn't think this would happen. How does this happen? America hasn't had a male win a major tournament in 23 years. Rafa himself won 22. And now Carlos has seven."

Nadal retired in 2024 - two years after Federer - and recently commented on what his future might hold after returning to the court at the Rafa Nadal Academy Slam in Mallorca earlier this month.

"To be a coach? Never say never," he said. "In the end, I am here to give support to the boys and girls of the academy when they need it.

"I'm always open to being able to give a hand to whoever asks me to. But, I have two young children.

"I have many other things in my life today that occupy me on a daily basis, so I don't think that my current life allows me to be or imagine being a coach in the way that it requires to be a good coach and dedicate yourself professionally to serving a professional player as they deserve.

"So it's not in my head at all right now. I don't know in five years from now what might happen."

He added: "Grabbing the racquet will always be fun for me, but that's another matter from closing the door on exhibitions - I'll play them, but it's a slow process.

"In the end, I finished my career with a lot of physical problems; the racquet reminds me of many of the pains I went through. I can live better than I expected, and for me, that's very important after spending so many years living something else."

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