Incredible footage of the only time Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal played doubles together

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have shared the court so many times on the biggest stage over the years, playing out an incredible rivalry in tennis and racking up 42 Grand Slams between them.

Novak Djokovic came onto the scene and joined the party but in terms of this generation, the pair are undoubtedly two of the greatest in the history of the sport.

They produced matches of the highest level across multiple countries and continents.

But in 2017, the duo teamed up for the first time ever as a double act and it was just as incredible as as we hoped it would be.

Representing Team Europe against the rest of the world at the Laver Cup in Prague, Feder and Nadal came up against Americans Sam Querrey and Jack Sock.

Image: Alamy

They defeated the pair in two sets, recording a 6-4 1-6 (10-5) victory. The result gave Team Europe a 9-3 lead and they ended up winning 15-9 in the indoor hard court tournament.

For staunch tennis fans, it was absolute bliss seeing Nadal and Federer on the same side.

It was the equivalent of seeing Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi line up alongside one another in a game and they didn't disappoint.

Federer and Nadal an absolute clinic and were simply too good for their opponents. The crowd at the O2 Arena lapped it up, with Nadal and Federer sharing an embrace after securing the final point.

Image: Alamy

Commenting on being teammates with Nadal, Federer said: "We only ever practiced once together, back at the World Tour Finals, so we don’t show each other a lot. We will always be rivals.

"But this was something very special, it was an absolute pleasure being on the court with Rafa and seeing his decision-making process.

"I understand that people only expect a win from us, but it’s very complicated, we’re playing indoors against the big servers, and I hadn’t played doubles for so long, I was trying to remember what to do. The two of us getting together, our two fan groups having to get together, that was interesting too."

Image: Alamy

Federer and Nadal are set to team up once again for the 2022 edition of the Laver Cup at the O2 Arena in London.

The Swiss star, 41, has announced he will be retiring from top-level professional tennis after the tournament, which is his final ATP event.

"I will play more tennis in the future, of course, but just not in Grand Slams or on the tour," Federer posted on his social media channels.

"This is a bittersweet decision, because I will miss everything the tour has given me. But at the same time, there is so much to celebrate."