Roger Federer's friendly rivalry with Rafael Nadal

Roger Federer says his respectful and friendly rivalry with Rafael Nadal has had a beneficial effect on the cut-throat world of men's tennis.

In a world sport peculiarity, Federer and Nadal get on surprisingly well with each other at the top of men's tennis, in contrast with other great rivalries.

Federer, who moved into an eighth straight Australian Open semifinal on Tuesday, is edging towards what many expect will be a showdown with world number one Nadal in Sunday's final.

"I think he's always been quite respectful," the 16-time major winner said of his Spanish rival. "Obviously, he's younger than me, maybe he looked up to me at the very beginning.

"So I think he was always very respectful. I've always been the same to any opponent really.

"From the start he didn't speak much at the very beginning, he was shy, but as time went by, we had to spend more time together, and we played more against each other.

"I don't want to say that we hang out more together, but we saw each other more and started to speak more together.

"It was always friendly and it was always very nice. So from this standpoint, we never really had any issues together."

Federer said it was their convivial relationship that helped make for more friendliness between other players on the men's tour.

"I always thought it was actually good to be nice to younger generations coming in instead of making them feel like this is going to be hell for you," he said.

"I just think it's nice to respect each other and be friendly to each other. I'm sure it rubbed off on Rafa (Nadal).

"I think when they see the two of us being the biggest rivals in the sport actually to speak to each other and be somewhat friendly, I think that rubs off on the other players as well.

"Tennis is a fierce, tough sport, but at the end of the day it's only a sport. There's so much more to life. I think maybe that's a little bit what I've been able to show many other athletes."

Roger Federer opens with win

Roger Federer beat pesky Argentine challenger Juan Ignacio Chela 7-6 (7), 6-3 in his opening match at the Rogers Cup on Tuesday night.

The third-ranked Swiss star allowed Chela back into the first set, before prevailing in the tiebreaker. He was not as generous in the second set, which lasted 34 minutes.

Federer, seeking his third Rogers Cup title, was playing his first match since losing in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. He had largely withdrawn from the sport after his early exit, going on vacation and, aside from a handful of sponsor appearances, disconnecting from the public.


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"There's many things I'd like to do, but I'm not going to say my career is incomplete if I don't get to it," Federer said. "I'd love to win another 10 Wimbledons, another five French Opens, an Olympic gold in London, a Davis Cup and whatever -- you name it."

Federer won the Canadian tournament in 2004, and then again two years later. He improved to 23-6 in his career in Canada.

"I thought it was a good match, overall," he said. "It's always nice to come back after six weeks and get the win. I think that's what counts the most tonight. It's normal that you're a bit rusty after six weeks."

Top-seeded Rafael Nadal plays his first match in the singles draw Wednesday, and could meet Federer if both advance to the finals.

The tournament lost one big name on Tuesday when American Andy Roddick withdrew with an undisclosed illness. The eighth seed will be replaced by France's Paul-Henri Mathieu.

After losing in straight sets in the third round at Washington last week, Roddick said he "didn't feel right physically."

Roddick dropped to No. 11 in this week's ATP rankings, the first time since the rankings began in 1973 that there is no one from the U.S. in the top 10.

In second-round action Tuesday, Wimbledon runner-up Tomas Berdych ousted Sergiy Stakhovsky 6-2, 6-4 in 90 minutes.

"I know him quite well, what his style of the game is, and it's always tough," Berdych said. "He's playing a lot of slice, chip-and-charge and coming to the net, and sometimes really fast, coming in from the baseline. You don't know what to expect."

It was a win for the 24-year-old in a season perhaps better known for its losses. Berdych lost in the semifinal round at the French Open, and followed that with a loss to Nadal in the Wimbledon final a month later. And, after winning his first match on Tuesday, he said he would not trade either experience.

"These are the best moments," he said. "If you have money, you can buy whatever you want, but these -- the memories from the tennis -- are really nice. This is the reason why you are doing this sport."

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