Spain's world number one Rafael Nadal says he prefers to play against his main rival Roger Federer of Switzerland, who he defeated during the final of the 2011 French Open earlier this month. "It is clear that the matches against Federer are always of great intensity. When I have a final against him, I feel something special and I imagine people feel the same," he said in an interview published Sunday in Spanish daily ABC.
Either Nadal, 25, or Federer, 29, has held the world's number one ranking since February 2, 2004, the longest two-man stranglehold since the rankings began in 1973. The left-handed Spaniard won a record-equalling sixth French Open title with a dramatic a 7-5, 7-6 (7/3), 5-7, 6-1 win over Federer on June 5.
Federer last beat Nadal in a Grand Slam final at Wimbledon in 2007. The win in Paris extended Nadal's head-to-head record against the right-hander to 17-8.