Laver Cup: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal prefer being rivals over teammates

World No. 1 Rafael Nadal and World No. 2 Roger Federer made history this weekend by teaming up for the first time on a tennis court at the inaugural Laver Cup. But the iconic players have ruled out the possibility of a permanent doubles pairing, despite their close friendship and off-the-court relationship.

Nadal and Federer are a part of "Team Europe" in the ongoing Laver Cup, a Ryder Cup-format team event pitting players from Europe against "Team Rest Of The World." The inaugural event, held at the O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic, has been named after Australian legend Rod Laver. John McEnroe (World) and Bjorn Borg (Europe), who formed one the greatest rivalries in the sport, have served as non-playing captains.

After Saturday's 6-4 1-6 10-5 victory over American duo American duo Sam Querrey and Jack Sock, Federer and Nadal insisted that their historic link-up could be a one-time affair. Of course, there is the possibility of the two icons teaming up at the next instalment of the Laver Cup.

Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer unlikely to team up again

"For me personally it was a great moment -- we (Federer & I) have only ever practised once together, said Federer. ‘It was back at the world tour finals. We don’t practise a lot we don’t show stuff to each other. We will always forever be rivals as long as we’re active. This was something very special," Nadal, a 15-time Grand Slam champion, said.

Nadal added, "After all the history that we had behind us as rivals it was great to be on the same side of the court fighting for a team it was something we enjoyed a lot. The atmosphere for the whole match and during the weekend was fantastic."

Federer, 36, believes he has a lot more in the tank entering 2018. The Swiss Master prevailed at at this year's Australian Open and Wimbledon to increase his Grand Slam tally to 19. But Federer acknowledged the joy attached to teaming up with Nadal, his archrival. "It’s been an absolute pleasure sharing the court with Rafa. Being on the same side of the net you know you can trust him in the big moments. Seeing his decision making and his thought process was very interesting."