Rafael Nadal gave a candid insight into his rivalries with Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.
Rafael Nadal spent years locked in a fierce rivalry with Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. The Big Three dominated the sport, occupying the world No. 1 spot for years and winning 66 Grand Slam titles between them.
To this day, both Djokovic and Federer say that the Spaniard was their singular biggest rival. As the man they both spent two decades trying to beat, Nadal has now explained the difference between facing his two greatest competitors and who was the “best”.
Nadal faced Djokovic 60 times and Federer 40 times in his career. He retired with a losing 29-31 head-to-head record against Djokovic and suffered defeat in their last official meeting at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The Spaniard had a winning record against Federer, leading 24-16. However, from 2017 onwards, Nadal lost six of their last seven matches.
Nadal’s rivalry with Federer always enticed fans because of their opposing game styles – the 22-time Grand Slam champion favoured power and intensity while the Swiss star is known for his elegance and didn’t live and die by every single point.
Meanwhile, Djokovic’s defensive skills and solid baseline game made him a tricky opponent for Nadal to crack on hard courts.
The Spaniard has now given a unique insight into what it was like to face both multi-Grand Slam champions, admitting he had to be relentless against Djokovic.
“I think it had been a completely different approach to the matches,” the retired star said during his recent appearance on Andy Roddick’s Served podcast.
“I think against Novak, it was a little bit about, we can have a strategy, but at the end it’s about, I need to play very well. I need to play very well all the time. And we don’t play the same style, of course, but it’s not a clear strategy.
“Against Roger, I will damage him against his backhand. Against Novak, I don’t have that feeling. The feeling is I need to play very well for a long time and know that I have to adjust things.
“I can’t play too many times against his backhand, especially high balls, because then he takes the ball quicker and puts you in a very difficult position.”
Explaining how he adapted his game to face Djokovic, the 14-time French Open winner continued: “So I started to use the slide more against him, sometimes it worked well.
“And sometimes against Novak it was good to play to the middle, to not give him a lot of angles. I think with Novak, when you were able to open him, if you don’t really create a lot of damage, he was able to open you more.”
Nadal also thought Djokovic possessed one skill that no one else could match. “In terms of ball control, I think he’s the best I ever played and I ever saw,” the 38-year-old added.
While Djokovic was the best at ball control, Nadal confessed that there was a moment when he couldn’t do anything against Federer.
“For me, honestly, 2017, for a while, was the best level of his career. In terms of creating, you felt that you were in his hands, of course on hard [courts],” he claimed.
It’s no surprise Nadal struggled against Federer in 2017. The 20-time Major champion won all four matches they played that season – including three straight-set wins at Masters 1000 events.
