NBA legend Pau Gasol acknowledges greatness when he sees one, especially when it's a good friend. Gasol congratulated Rafael Nadal after the tennis superstar reached his historic 1,000-win milestone.

Gasol was hyped on Twitter and expressed his admiration for his fellow Spaniard.

Nadal, who leads all players in the Open Era with an 83.3 winning percentage (1,000-201) also expressed his satisfaction for his rare achievement.

On Wednesday, Rafael Nadal beat Feliciano Lopez 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 at the Paris Masters to become just the fourth player since the Open Era in 1968 to reach 1,000 match wins. He joined other legends Jimmy Connors (1,274), Roger Federer (1,242), and Ivan Lendl (1,068).

After his latest feat, Nadal told reporters how special it is, although he would've wanted to have people cheering from the stands.

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“I know it is a very special number, one thousand. Even if it's not the same to celebrate something like this without a crowd. Of course it's sad, the level of energy is difficult to compare. So the feeling, even if 1,000 (fans) or 1,500 or 2,000, is not a lot.”

Apart from his 1,000 career victories, the 34-year-old Nadal also has 20 Grand Slam titles, 35 Masters trophies, and 86 championships in total, which is also the fourth most in the Open Era.

It's no secret that Pau Gasol and Rafael Nadal are great friends. Last June, Gasol proudly greeted Nadal on his birthday, thanking him for the gift of friendship. The two-time NBA champion and FIBA legend also wished Nadal well in his future endeavors.

The two sporting icons also teamed up to raise a total of $15.8 million to aid Spain's battle against COVID-19. Their initial target was $12.1 million, but through the help of other Spanish celebrities, they exceeded their target.