Before going to Australia, Rafael Nadal had a few weeks of training at his academy in Kuwait to prepare for the 2024 season. During this time, the Spanish tennis player gave an interview to El Pais magazine, which mainly mentioned to competitions with Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer throughout his career.

According to Nadal, the match between him and Federer became classic because of their contrasting styles. A post on El Pais on January 2 quoted the 37-year-old tennis player: “When I appeared, Federer was number one. He was aesthetically perfect, with a luxurious physique. I had long hair and was strong.” like a warrior. It was a match of personality and style. We played many important matches at that time, the rivalry therefore surpassed any other match.”

Nadal (right) with Federer and Djokovic create the legendary “Big 3” group of the tennis industry. Photo: Marca

Nadal won 24 of 40 matches against Federer, including 14 finals. Nadal overwhelmed the Swiss on clay with a win-loss ratio of 14-2, but was outmatched on grass and hard courts (10-14). In the final stages of his career, Federer somewhat overcame Nadal, winning six out of seven encounters.

Nadal said he mainly beat Federer thanks to his left-pressing strategy. This no longer had much effect in 2017 when “Express Train” changed to a big racket and advocated a stronger attack. “At that time Federer knew he couldn’t run much so he finished faster and more decisively,” Nadal said. “The important thing is that he hits accurately with great force. He doesn’t allow me time to attack my backhand. Playing Federer is always like playing chess. He is the opponent that impresses and excites me the most. best”.

Nadal has a clear strategy when playing Federer but admits it is difficult to do the same against Djokovic. He said: “Djokovic has improved his skills a lot compared to the beginning of his career. You have to play at a very high level, for a long time throughout the match to beat Djokovic. That’s very different.”

Nadal lost 30 of 59 matches against Djokovic. The “King of Clay” led 11-7 in the Grand Slam arena, but lost 13-15 in the finals. In terms of aesthetics in playing style, Nadal rates Federer as superior to Djokovic. “I’m more excited to watch Federer play than Djokovic,” the Spanish tennis player added. “Tennis must bring emotions. Emotions are what attracts you to Federer.”

Nadal emphasized that he is always proud after every big match, but the most unfortunate defeats of his career were the 2012 Australian Open finals at the hands of Djokovic and 2014 at the hands of Stan Wawrinka.

“I led Djokovic 4-2 in set five but then lost the advantage,” he said. “That match was very long, very difficult. I wasn’t discouraged because I gave my best. The 2014 final was much more disappointing because I couldn’t even fight to my full potential with the pain in my back.” right from the first set. That match made me sink into disappointment for a long time.”

Besides Federer and Djokovic, Nadal praised fellow countryman Carlos Alcaraz. According to the owner of 22 Grand Slams, Alcaraz has a perfect playing style and is in ideal conditions to conquer records.

Nadal returned to play in Australia this month, after a year off recovering from a hip injury. He just beat Dominic Thiem 7-5, 6-1 in the first round of the Brisbane International on January 2. After attending the ATP 250 event in Brisbane, the Spanish tennis player will go to Melbourne to compete in the Australian Open – the tournament he won in 2009 and 2022.