Roger Federer’s ex-coach Ivan Ljubicic explains why he’s finding Rafael Nadal’s retirement ‘hard to accept’
Ivan Ljubicic would find it difficult to watch French Open matches without Rafael Nadal who will retire at the Davis Cup this month.
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Roger Federer, Ivan Ljubicic, Rafael Nadal (Images via X)
Rafael Nadal will join Roger Federer on the retirement list later this month. Federer’s ex-coach Ivan Ljubicic appreciated the Spaniard for his remarkable career but also said he was surprised upon learning about his retirement.
Federer retired in 2022, while Nadal will hang up his racket at the Davis Cup in Malaga. Ljubicic, who has played many matches against Nadal and helped Federer to win three of his 20 Grand Slam titles, said that he would find it difficult to see matches at Roland Garros without the 14-time French Open champion.
I was surprised when Nadal announced his retirement. I can obviously understand why. That’s not the question. But for me, Rafa Nadal is Roland Garros, and seeing that he’s not going to play Roland Garros is hard to accept.
Ivan Ljubicic told Eurosport
Nadal has barely played since 2023. This season, as well, he only participated in clay-court events and skipped Wimbledon as well as the US Open. He was last seen in action at the Paris Olympics, where he played singles and doubles but got knocked out in the second and quarterfinals respectively.
Ivan Ljubicic says matches against Rafael Nadal were a traumatic experience for him
Ivan Ljubicic said champions like Rafael Nadal play to win and not participate, as he recalled the matches he played against the 22-time Grand Slam champion at Roland Garros. Those who played the Mallorcan on the red dirt of Paris probably never had a good experience, and Ljubicic was one such player.
Playing against Rafa on the Philippe-Chatrier is difficult. It’s a traumatic experience. I never played against Federer at Wimbledon, but I faced him many times, and it was complicated because he had all the solutions. Rafa’s tennis is tactically quite simple, but impossible to manage with his topspin in particular.
Ivan Ljubicic told Eurosport
Ljubicic has faced Nadal nine times, out of which he emerged as the winner just twice. The Croat twice met Nadal at Roland Garros (in 2006 and 2011) and both times, Nadal came out on top in straight sets before clinching the title.
Against his former protege, however, he won just three matches out of the 16 they played against each other. Ljubicic joined Federer’s team in 2015 after the Swiss maestro parted ways with Stefan Edberg. In his career, Ljubicic never won a Grand Slam title, though he took home the bronze medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
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Gouri Das
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