Rafael Nadal undoubtedly has immense amount of respect for Roger Federer, but the Spaniard joked in a recent interview that he is not looking to date his Swiss counterpart anytime soon.

The Spaniard is through to the semis of the US Open and had the chance to face his long-time rival in the competition for the first time. 

Both players have massive mutual admiration for one another, and Nadal also stated that he would rather have met the 19-time Grand Slam winner in the final at Flushing Meadows than the last four of the tournament. 

However, in a post-match conference, Nadal did not want reporters getting too carried away about the relationship between the pair due to their respectful rivalry insisting that he does not intend to date the 36-year-old maestro. 

When asked what he admired about Federer both on and off the court, Nadal replied jokingly: "I don't want to look like I'm going to be his boyfriend, no?

"We don’t want to talk about these kind of things before an important match."

Of course, Federer is happily married with four children, while Nadal has been involved in a long-term relationship with Xisca Parello. 

The Spaniard added: "It’s something a little bit strange that we never played here, played a lot of times in all the events across the world.

"I think we’ll be much more special if that can happen in a final but that’s not possible this year so we’ll have to come back next year to try and make it happen."

Unfortunately, Nadal's dream of meeting Federer in the semis will remain a dream for at least one more year as the Swiss veteran was dumped out of the competition in the quarters by Juan Martin del Potro 7-5, 3-6, 7-6, 6-4. 

Despite the disappointment of not being able to see the legendary pair go up against one another yet again, Nadal's matchup with the Argentine player is sure to provide a spectacle for the audience.