“I guess he was the party crasher of Rafa and Roger fans,” Roger Federer compares his rivalry with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic

Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have created the most iconic tennis era of all time.


“I guess he was the party crasher of Rafa and Roger fans,” Roger Federer compares his rivalry with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic

Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic (via Imago)

Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer has spoken exclusively about his rivalry and relationship with Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal in a behind-the-scenes documentary called ‘Federer: Last Twelve Days’. These three tennis players have 66 Grand Slams between them, and their era is considered the golden era of men’s tennis.

According to the Telegraph, Amazon Prime released a new video in which the 42-year-old was speaking about the contrasts in his rivalry with Nadal and Djokovic. The documentary is set to release on June 20.

YouTube video
I guess he was the party crasher of Rafa and Roger fans. There was a lot of Rafa-Roger love there, so when Novak came probably a lot of people said, ‘Look, we don’t need a third guy. We’re happy with Roger and Rafa.’
Roger Federer said in the behind-the-scenes of his documentary
The Federer fans at the beginning didn’t really like him because they just thought, ‘Roger’s a bit more easy, he does it with ease.’ Then Novak came in with his strong personality and that unbelievable grit of wanting to win at all costs. I think also Novak was triggered by the relationship with the fans. I think that deep focus maybe scared some people away.
Roger Federer added

Federer and Nadal met for the first time on the ATP Tour in 2004 in Miami, where the Spaniard won convincingly in straight sets. That was the start of a special rivalry as the two titans tussled on all surfaces, splitting the tennis world into two fan bases.

FS Video

However, the rise of Djokovic in 2011 seemed to have diminished their dominance a bit. The Serbian became equally effective on all surfaces and challenged Federer and Nadal toe to toe on every court. With the two fan bases split, the Serbian wasn’t adored like his two rivals.

However, Djokovic has overcome the odds and is statistically the best player of all time. He has won 24 Grand Slams, two more than Nadal and four more than Federer. Moreover, he is still competitive and can compete for more titles if he manages to recover from the meniscus tear he sustained at Roland Garros recently.

Will Rafael Nadal retire at the Laver Cup like Roger Federer?

Twenty-two-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal has hinted many times that 2024 is likely to be his final year on the tour. The latest hint came after his first-round defeat to Alexander Zverev at Roland Garros.

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal at 2022 Laver Cup
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal at 2022 Laver Cup (via Imago)

However, the King of Clay told the world that he will return to Paris first for the Olympic Games, with a potential doubles partnership with Carlos Alcaraz on the cards. The 38-year-old is unlikely to feature at Wimbledon, where he is a two-time champion.

The big talking point is that Nadal is confirmed to participate in the Laver Cup for Team Europe. The Spaniard was last seen as a Team Europe member when he played doubles with the retiring Roger Federer in 2022. Could this be deja vu?

Federer has supported the Laver Cup throughout his career and was in the stands last year despite no longer being a professional player. Many fans are claiming that this could be another emotional episode in which Nadal joins his great rival in the retirement club.

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