Roger Federer gave props to Rafael Nadal, calling him a giant of the game, after an emotional goodbye ceremony for the Spaniard at the French Open, in an interview with TNT Sports.

A year after hanging up his racket, Rafael Nadal thought back on his career as one of tennis's fiercest competitors.

The Spaniard's amazing career wrapped up at the 2024 Davis Cup. He left the sport with 22 Grand Slam titles and a rep as one of the all-time greats.

Everyone knew his name, even people who didn't follow tennis. He was part of the Big Three—the most dominant trio to ever play—along with Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.

So, what tricks did Nadal use to beat his biggest rivals?

Against Federer, the plan was pretty simple, Nadal told Spanish newspaper AS. Especially early on: keep hitting his backhand with high shots until he froze, waiting for the next one. Then I'd switch to his forehand.

It took a lot of focus, since I often thought I should hit the other way, but I knew hitting his backhand over and over would wear him down mentally. I didn't always feel like doing it, but it was the smartest thing to do.

Before Djokovic hit the top, Federer and Nadal were the top dogs, creating one of the best rivalries in sports history.

They were usually friendly off the court, aside from a few jabs here and there. But on the court, they were amazing. Together, they won 42 Grand Slam titles.

Djokovic crashed their party and, eventually, won even more awards than them.

"Novak was tougher to read," Nadal said about going up against Djokovic. On clay, it was a little less clear than on hard courts. On hard courts, as I got older and couldn't push my body as much, it was way harder.

To have a shot, I needed my body to cooperate, and it wasn't. I had to make points shorter, and beating Novak in two or three shots was super hard. Sometimes I tried to serve more aggressively, but that didn't pan out.

On clay, I could figure things out. And on grass, I had chances, even though I lost those semi-finals [he lost to the Serb in five sets at Wimbledon in 2018]. I felt better about my chances on clay or grass than on hard courts, especially later in my career.

Djokovic is still going strong as the last man standing from the Big Three.

Since the other two retired, people keep bringing up the idea of an exhibition match between Federer and Nadal, which just shows how much people loved their rivalry even after they stopped playing.

Nadal's old coach and uncle, Toni Nadal, has said that his nephew would be pumped to face his old rival again.

Nadal himself is up for it, but only if it feels right.

"I don't think it'll ever be the same, and I don't expect it to be," Nadal said.

But who knows what'll happen? If we think it'll be fun, if we can make it mean something and something we're really into… why not?

I'm not ruling out picking up a racket again, but I'd need to get ready for it.

When you play, you want to be prepared, and right now I'm not. I'd need to train for a while.

Jack Draper, Britain's top player, said he's skipping the 2026 Australian Open. He's still recovering from a bone bruise in his left arm.

The 24-year-old has had a rough year with injuries. He's only played one singles match since Wimbledon. He said that the first Grand Slam of next year is just too early for him.

In a video on X, Draper said it was a really, really tough decision not to go to Australia, as it's one of the biggest tournaments in tennis.

"I've had this injury for a while," Draper explained. I'm almost done with my recovery, but jumping back into a best-of-five set tennis match this soon doesn't feel like the right move for me and my tennis right now.

"I've had my share of setbacks," he continued, "but this one's been the toughest and most difficult one so far."

Draper last played a singles match when he won his first round at the U.S. Open against Federico Agustin Gomez. He didn't look comfortable serving and later said he'd have to withdraw from the tournament.

He found out he had a bone bruise after losing to Marin Cilic in the second round at Wimbledon.

Draper, who's ranked No. 10 in the world, wanted to come back at the Ultimate Tennis Showdown in London last month. But he was told to wait a bit longer.

"It's strange; it always seems to make me tougher and more eager to become the player I want to be," Draper said. I'm eager to return in 2026 and compete.

I just want to say thanks for all the support this year. "It means a lot to me to compete and play on the tour with the other guys, and I'm looking forward to doing it again," Draper added.

The Australian Open starts on January 12.