'Stop winning' Rafael Nadal jokes as he leads tributes to Roger Federer on his 36th birthday

Roger Federer's great rival Rafael Nadal led the tributes to the 19-time grand slam winner on the day of his 36th birthday [8 August]. The Spaniard was among a host of current players to send their best wishes to the Swiss legend, who despite being among the oldest players on the ATP Tour continues to reach new heights.

In a video package produced by Tennis TV, Nadal said: "I wish you a very, very happy birthday. You're getting old - stop winning, leave something for the young ones. All the best."

The 10-time French Open champion's dispatch came as part of a compilation of lighthearted messages from players across the men's game including Nick Kyrgios, David Ferrer and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. The full video can be viewed above.

Federer responded to all the messages he received on Twitter, saying: "Thanks so much for all the birthday wishes from around the world! Feeling the love." The world number three has the chance to mark the occasion in ideal fashion when he takes to the court for the first time since winning his record eighth title at SW19 at Canada's Rogers Cup.

With world number one Andy Murray in sight for Federer - though Nadal can top the rankings if he reaches the last four in Montreal - he begins his campaign against home favourite Peter Polansky in the second round on Wednesday [9 August]. Federer has not won the event since 2006 but his late decision to play is a clear intention he wants to return to the summit of the men's game.

"I think I made up my mind about six days ago," he explained. "I wanted to keep the door open and see at the last minute how I felt after my holidays. When I started training again and saw that I was in good shape, it didn't take me too much time to find my rhythm.

"I always want to play more during the second half of the season. I also think that the first six months of the year were positive because I wasn't injured, I'm in good health and I didn't spend too much energy even though I played a lot of matches. So I figured that I had trained enough in the past year and that if I was feeling healthy, I would rather play matches than train."

Other notable players to start their campaign in Canada at the last 32 stage are Nadal, who takes on Borna Coric of Croatia, Tsonga who faces beaten Wimbledon semi-finalist Sam Querrey while Milos Raonic will duel with Adrian Mannarino for a third round spot.