Valentino Rossi showed how much he respected Marc Marquez with his comments after 2020 injury

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Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez have shared a fierce rivalry since the events of the 2015 season, but comments from The Doctor regarding the racecraft of the injury-stricken Spaniard during 2020 show the level of respect they still share for each other.

As two of the biggest names in premier class history, Marquez and Rossi’s feud has been covered extensively since their infamous clash at the Malaysian Grand Prix in 2015.

What had once been a story of a youngster racing alongside the man whose posters he adorned his bedroom in, turned into a bitter rivalry that extended off the race-track and into the press conferences after Rossi’s apparent kicking of Marquez in Sepang.

However, comments from the Italian icon during the most difficult period of the #93’s career show the deeply rooted respect that he has for Marquez’s racecraft.

READ MORE: Jorge Lorenzo points out what is never ‘mentioned’ about Valentino Rossi’s feud with Marc Marquez

Valentino Rossi tipped Marc Marquez to be ‘the man to beat’ during his 2020 injury layoff

In an interview with GPOne during the latter stages of the 2020 season, Rossi fielded a question regarding the declining performance of Honda’s bike after such a dominant decade with Marquez during the 2010s.

Asked if Honda’s era of dominance had closed, the seven-time MotoGP champion replied, “I think Honda is a strong bike, but there’s no doubt that Marquez is its greatest interpreter.

“Without him, they are very much in difficulty, also because the other riders, for one reason or another, cannot be so competitive.

“It’s a strange moment, because Honda and Yamaha are struggling, while KTM and Suzuki are the big surprises. So everyone’s balance is shifting, but I must say, when Marquez returns, he will still be the man to beat.”

Rossi was also asked about the mental aspect of returning to action after sustaining such a devastating injury as Marquez had suffered.

Having been reminded of the compound fracture that he received during a practice session at the 2010 Italian Grand Prix, the former Yamaha rider said, “Well, first you have to see how you are, because a serious injury leaves marks on your body and mind.

“For your body, you have to see how you feel, if anything bothers you. Then the environment… You have to see if you’re afraid, because when you get hurt, it’s bad, you suffer a lot, and the recovery is tough. Injuries leave marks on everyone, including me a bit.

“I recovered well because I felt good on the bike, and the elbow didn’t bother me, but you still think about it. My Mugello injury was serious because, as you said, an open fracture, and the tibia was outside the skin.

“But what happened to Marquez afterwards is more serious, because he removed the plate after surgery, and this is very tough, very serious. We’ll have to see how he is when he returns.”

READ MORE: Valentino Rossi once saw ‘very strong’ sign Marc Marquez would be a MotoGP champion before his debut

Marc Marquez didn’t know if he could return to his championship-winning form after a string of injuries

In the years following Marquez’s horror crash at the 2020 Spanish Grand Prix, the Spaniard suffered from complications that arose from the surgery he underwent to amend the broken humerus bone in his right arm.

Over a two-year period that saw him undergo four separate surgeries, Marquez struggled with the decline in Honda’s performance that had taken place in his absence. This led the ambitious Spaniard to search for greener pastures on the MotoGP grid.

Ahead of his championship feat in 2025, Marquez disclosed that he was thinking of retiring if his stint at Gresini atop a Ducati bike didn’t go as expected.

The rest is history in that respect, but an incident at the Indonesian Grand Prix just one week after his title triumph resurfaced some former scares.

Having broken his collarbone in a tangle with Marco Bezzecchi, Marquez was forced to undergo another operation to repair a bent screw in the previously afflicted humerus, which was successfully rectified.

Eyeing a return to action in the final rounds of the current campaign, his plan was forced to be abandoned after receiving advice to make a full recovery in order to be back to full fitness in 2026.