Rafael Nadal may have foiled his own career by strengthening the game that Roger Federer plays. Is Rafa his greatest enemy?

According to Tennis World USA, Roger Federer freely admitted that Rafael Nadal helped him strengthen his game so that he could truly be the reigning champion. He said in the most recent interview, "'The most intense rivalry I have ever had was with Rafa, no doubt on that - confessed Federer - It has been an epic and incredible rivalry and it will continue to be like this because we are going to play often in the future."

But other than the rivalry, Rafael Nadal forced Roger Federer to change his game so much so that it actually foiled the Spaniard's plans to rule tennis. The Swiss player said, "He made me change my game many times since he is lefty and we had never seen a player who could hit the ball with so much spin... Now I play with more strength, before I had such a 'soft' game. My movements, the way I hit the ball, I'm a different player due to Rafa's presence."

Looks like Rafael Nadal foiled his own career by strengthening his greatest rival.

And on the way to that, Rafa accrued injury after injury, both physically and mentally. While he is on the road to recovery, he has been beaten by every single player that he has defeated in the past.

Recently, the former world number 1 opened up about his recovery. According to NDTV Sports, he said, "Sometimes I recover from injuries. This time what I had, with my not having the control of my nerves or my emotion, is like coming back from an injury, too. It's not a physical injury, but it's a mental injury. And this for me is another challenge. I am working hard. I've never had such a long period of time without playing at the level that I wanted."

Rafael Nadal will probably never catch up with Roger Federer's world records or his historical prominence in the world of tennis, but he has relinquished his dreams long ago. But with his girlfriend Maria Francisca Perello keeping his confidence high, Rafael Nadal is ready to climb back to the top.

According to NDTV, "A defiant Rafael Nadal warned Sunday his career was not over yet as he pledged that "sooner or later" he will be back at the very top of men's tennis."

While it's very possible that the Spaniard will never rise to the level of Roger Federer, he still remained hopeful for his future in tennis.