The world’s former top-ranked tennis player, Rafael Nadal, has played down comparisons with his great rival and 17-time grand slam champion Roger Federer, who had an evident change in his style of play after going through a slump in his tennis career. Nadal vowed to work hard on improving his game but said that there wouldn’t be any reason for him to change the way he plays.

The 29-year-old was speaking in the Philippine capital during his appearance in the second leg of the 2015 International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) when he was asked about his thoughts on tweaking his game, just like Federer, to extend his longevity in the sport. Nadal dismissed the comparison and rejected the suggestion.

“I’m not Federer, I’m Rafael Nadal,” Nadal said in an interview, as quoted by Tennis.com. “He has his style and I have my own style, I for sure try to improve many things during all my career and for sure I’m working hard to be a better player and if I’m a better player, I will have the chance to play a bit longer.”

Nadal has struggled in the previous months but obviously showed great improvement in the latter part of the season since his third round exit at the 2015 US Open. Nadal has reached the finals of the China Open and Swiss Indoors Basel. He also reached the semifinals of the Shanghai Rolex Masters and the quarterfinals of the BNP Paris Masters.

Nadal also won all his group matches at the season-ending tournament, Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, in London. After dropping to as low as 10th place in the world rankings, the Spanish tennis ace managed to get back within the top five, ending his season as World No. 5.

The 14-time grand slam champion said he is aware of his dismal 2015 season but said that he doesn’t see it as a “disaster.” Nadal, who had not won a grand slam title since winning the French Open last year, also played down his chances of claiming back the top spot in men’s tennis but said that he is currently working hard to make it happen.

Meanwhile, Federer’s 2015 season had not been too bad even though he also failed to add another grand slam trophy to his tally of 17. It has been three years since Federer won his last grand slam trophy. This season, the Swiss maestro claimed four titles and made it to the finals of six tournaments. However, a third round exit to Andreas Seppi 6-4 7-6(5) 4-6 7-6(5) at the Australian Open was unexpected from Federer. He finished the season as World No. 3.

Both Nadal and Federer are in New Delhi for the third leg of the 2015 IPTL. Nadal leads the Indian Aces, while Federer headlines the UAE Royals.

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