Rafael Nadal denies speaking on why his rivalry with Roger Federer received more attention than that with Novak Djokovic

Rafael Nadal feels his match-up against Federer was more of elegance vs warrior.

Rafael Nadal denies speaking on why his rivalry with Roger Federer received more attention than that with Novak Djokovic

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal (Image via Rafa Nadal Academy)

Whenever there is talk about tennis rivalries, the rivalry between the Big Three wins by a fair margin. Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic were each other’s true nemesis. However, among the three, the rivalry between Nadal and Federer was always more talked about. There have been many reasons given by experts but this time it is Nadal who has spoken on the matter. 

The 37-year-old has explained the probable reason behind the Fedal rivalry getting more attention than their rivalry with Djokovic. Nadal feels that his contrasting style of play to Federer and him challenging the Swiss maestro grabbed significant attention

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 The talks about their rivalry kept on getting intense with every passing game and hence it became more popular. The Spaniard also pointed out that Nadal and Federer playing against each other at big finals of big tournaments and Grand Slams only helped in popularizing their rivalry. 

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There are several factors. Some I won’t tell you because it’s difficult for me, it’s not my place to comment on them. But in terms of tennis, it’s clear. It’s a combination of very radical styles. Roger was perfection in terms of aesthetics, elegance, & technique. (I have very good technique, but technique is not the same as aesthetics. They are two different things. He had incredible technique, doing things beautifully with impressive elegance). 
Rafael Nadal said. (via Tennis Letter X)

Nadal feels that when he and Roger Federer played against each other, it gave a sense of elegance vs warrior. 

When I arrived, he was the number one in the world, & a rival with long hair & an exuberant physique emerged. Elegance against a warrior. There was a unique combination of personalities & styles, & that, combined with playing many matches on the most important stages, turned our rivalry into something that transcended more than any other match.
Nadal said.

A look at head-to-head record between Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic

While Rafael Nadal might have given the best possible explanation for the reason behind his rivalry with Roger Federer getting more attention than his matches against Djokovic, the numbers do not exactly align with what Nadal said.

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Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal (Image via Sportskeeda)

The three players have played a significant number of matches against each other at the highest level. While Nadal has played 59 matches against Djokovic, he has played only 40 against Federer. Meanwhile, Djokovic and Federer have played 50 matches among themselves.

Djokovic leads the head-to-head record against both the players. Against Nadal, he is 30-29 while he leads Federer 27-23. On the other hand, Rafael Nadal leads the head-to-head record between him and Federer 24-16.

The numbers suggest that Nadal had a closer rivalry with Djokovic than Federer. The Serbian also challenged Federer to a large extent. However, a large of section of fans still consider the Fedal rivalry superior to the other two rivalries of the Big Three.

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