Roger Federer receives praise of highest order by Rafael Nadal, says the Swiss maestro will remain unmatched

Rafael Nadal revealed about his rivalries with Federer and Djokovic, admitting that Big 3 plays an crucial role in each other's success.


Roger Federer receives praise of highest order by Rafael Nadal, says the Swiss maestro will remain unmatched

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal - FirstSportz

Spaniard legend Rafael Nadal made his debut in 2001 and went on to win his first Grand Slam in 2005. Since then, he dominated the sport and is be known as one of the greatest players of all time. He faced the most competition from Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. Nadal opened up about the how rivalries within the Big 3 has evolved over the years.

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Tthe 41-year-old became the first player to reach 20 Grand Slam titles. But the Mallorcan surpassed the other two by clinching two major titles in 2022. He leads the list of most Grand Slam singles titles won a player in the Open Era with his tally of 22. Despite sporting one of the greatest rivalries, Nadal and Djokovic were part of Federer’s farewell at the Laver Cup. The three of them have equally dominated the sport since they won 63 Grand Slam singles titles together.

World No 2 went to admit that when Novak arrived, Federer was better than him but faced the Serb more on the Tour. He also stated that he has won more times against the World No 5. Nadal went on to claim that they pushed each other to perform at the best.

During an interview with MARCA, the 22-time Grand Slam champion said “It’s true that I was Federer’s first great rival so I understand that he sees it this way. Then, when Novak arrived, it is true that Federer was still better than me but in the following years I won more than Roger. So, I have also coincided more times with Djokovic on the court. In other words, I have been more his great rival than Roger. In the end, I see it as something positive because it is true that between the three of us we have won a lot but I don’t think that any of us have been able to win more than Roger.

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Rafael Nadal’s rivalries with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic

Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic - FirstSportz
Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic – FirstSportz

The Mallorcan and Swiss have played against each other 40 times, with Nadal leading 24–16 in the win-loss record. It includes a record of 14–10 in finals. Of their 40 matches, 20 were on hard court, 16 on clay, and 4 on grass. Nadal leads with a record of 14:2 on clay and 8:6 on outdoor hard court. And, Federer leads with a 3:1 record on grass and 5:1 on indoor hard court. A total of 14 matches were in majors with Nadal leading 10–4. The last time they played against each other was at the Wimbledon semifinals in 2019.

World No 2 and World No 5 have faced each other 59 times, including in all four major finals, with Djokovic leading 30–29. Though Djokovic leads with a 15:13 in finals of all levels, Nadal leads with a 11:7 at the majors. Out of 59 meetings, 27 matches have been played on hard courts with Djokovic leading 20:7. Nadal leads the clay record with a record of 20:8 and the grass court record is equal at 2:2. Moreover Djokovic is the only player to have beaten Nadal in all four majors.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion had an incredible first half of the year. But an untimely abdominal injury hampered his momentum. His second half was quite underwhelming as he won fewer matches. Whereas, the 35-year-old had a rough year due to his vaccination status to Covid-19 and was forced to skip two Grand Slams. Both aims to make a strong start to their 2023 campaign at the Australian Open. Nadal will look to defend his title and Djokovic returns after two years with an aim to win his 10th title in Down Under.

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