Arteta: Federer-Nadal relationship shows I can still be friends with Guardiola during title race

By: The Associated Press Posted: 8:12 AM CST Friday, Jan. 30, 2026

LONDON (AP) — Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta used the friendly tennis rivalry between Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal as an example of why he can maintain a good relationship with Manchester City counterpart Pep Guardiola during the increasingly tense Premier League title race.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/01/2026 (246 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Arteta was Guardiola’s assistant at City for three years and the two managers have spoken well of each other during the title races between the teams won by City in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons.

With 15 rounds remaining in the Premier League this season, Arsenal leads second-place City by four points.

Arsenal's manager Mikel Arteta looks on prior to the start of the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Arsenal and Kairat Almaty in London, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)

Arteta said Friday that he still speaks to Guardiola.

“I don’t talk (with him) like my wife, but we talk,” he said. “For me, the surprising thing would be to not. And it would set a really bad example for sport.

“The biggest lesson sport has given us was the relationship that Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer had. We are not at that level. But they were two of the best in history, even though they had to play in finals. So how the hell am I not going to have a great relationship with someone that I admire? But when it goes to the court, or to the pitch, that’s for the winner.”