The two managers are going head-to-head in the Premier League title race with Arsenal and Manchester City respectively and the Gunners boss hopes the pair can emulate the tennis icons by maintaining a strong bond despite their rivalry.

Arteta - who was an assistant to Guardiola at City before taking the Arsenal job in 2019 - said: "For me the surprising thing would be not to [maintain that relationship].

"I think it would be a really bad example for sport. In sport you have to learn and probably the biggest lesson that sport has given us is the relationship that for example that Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer had.

"I am not at that level at all. But one of the best in the history, or the two best sportsmen, the relationship they have between them when they have to play a final, one against one against each other so how the hell am I not going to have a great relationship with someone that I admire, I worked with and is a colleague? But it is the same as any other opponent. When it goes to the court, to the pitch, that's for the winner."

Guardiola called Arsenal "the best team in the world" last week but Arteta doesn't believe that his mentor was playing mind games.

The Spanish coach said: "With me? I don't think so. We don't talk like with my wife every three days but we talk generally. He talks about how he feels and that's it. If there are mind games, there are mind games but I don't pay too much attention because at the end you have to go on the pitch and deliver."