Rafael Nadal admitted it was more difficult to formulate a plan to defeat Novak Djokovic than Roger Federer. The Spaniard, who won 22 Grand Slam titles, called time on his legendary career last year after 23 years as a professional.
The 39-year-old defined a new generation in tennis, arguably the greatest, alongside Djokovic and Federer with the trio competing against each other in countless classics spanning over 15 years. Nadal’s rivalry with Djokovic was the most prolific in tennis’ Open Era with the pair facing off 60 times, with the Serbian great holding a slender 31-29 advantage.
Nadal’s on-court rivalry with Federer, which preceded the one with Djokovic, is also regarded as one of the greatest in the sport’s history with the legends taking on each other 40 times. It’s the French Open king who holds the advantage with 24 wins, compared to the Swiss’ 16 victories.
During an episode of GOAT GOLF where Nadal joined NFL icon Tom Brady while discussing what they miss about their respective sports, the seven-time Super Bowl champion questioned what the difference was when facing Djokovic and Federer. Nadal answered: “It’s completely different.”
He admitted that creating a strategy to defeat Djokovic was a more arduous task while he possessed a more direct gameplan on how to beat Federer. He explained: “I think with Novak, the match is more equal, more predictable. But at the same time, it was more difficult for me to have a real tactic on it because you need to play very well and just the small details to beat him.
“To beat him, you need to [be] unbelievable and that’s the truth. And against Roger, the styles were so different, I think that made the matches a little more interesting for the people. I had a better clear way of how to approach the match with Roger.”
With Djokovic the last titan standing following Nadal and Federer’s retirements, the 38-year-old continues to remain a contender for honours with a potential 101st ATP Tour title to be won after reaching the final of the Hellenic Championship this weekend. Having bested German qualifier Yannick Hanfmann 6-3 6-4 on Friday, Djokovic will battle Lorenzo Musetti on Saturday for the chance to make it 20 different countries he’s won a title in.
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Folloowing his victory in Athens, where he relocated his family, he said to the crowd: “Thank you for filling out this amazing stadium again. It’s my third match on centre court, but every time I walk out I’m amazed. I’ve played in some of the most beautiful indoor arenas in the world, but I can definitely say this is one of the top three I’ve ever played in.”
