Federer congratulates Nadal with heartfelt note

It was a legendary Sunday at Roland Garros on several levels, with Rafael Nadal racking up his 100th French Open match win and a record-extending 13th Coupe des Mousquetaires. And of course, Nadal tied Roger Federer for the men's all-time Grand Slam record, at 20 titles apiece.

The achievement was lauded far and wide—but notably celebratory was Federer himself, who left a long note congratulating Nadal on social media.

"I have always had the utmost respect for my friend Rafa as a person and as a champion," Federer wrote on Twitter and Instagram. "Therefore, it is a true honor for me to congratulate him on his 20th Grand Slam victory. It is especially amazing that he has now won Roland Garros an incredible 13 times, which is one of the greatest achievements in sport ... I hope 20 is just another step on the continuing journey for both of us. Well done, Rafa. You deserve it."

Nadal, in his post-win press conference, wasn't short on kind remarks about his longtime foe either.

"At the same time [that we] share this record between us, [the fact] that we had an amazing rivalry for such a long time is something in some way beautiful, I really believe," Nadal said.

In addition to Federer, Nadal received kind words online from a host of other champions, including Rod Laver and Billie Jean King:

The past decade and a half has marked an era of men's tennis defined by not just unparalleled on-court accomplishments, but also a personal friendliness between competitors that's rare in the realm of sports. Right now, there's no sign of either trend coming to an end.